CHAPTER 14

"There are better ways to go about this." Vayu said reluctantly as he readied himself to place Ignis under hypnosis. His aura was calm, blue, but his eyes told another story.

"I know." Ignis said simply, "but this is the fastest way."

"The fastest way to kill you." Nuri muttered under his breath.

"It's risky. You could die in there," Vayu warned, "or you could be a vegetable."

"I'm aware of the risks. Just do it." Ignis replied with a tone of finality to his voice. As if he were saying an incantation, Vayu's fingers lit up with a faint blue light, and he placed them against Ignis' forehead.

"Don't blame me if you don't wake up." Vayu said.

"I'll just haunt your dreams." Ignis said as he was plunged into darkness. Vayu exhaled. At least the execution went well, he thought.

"So, now we wait?" Nuri asked as he bit down on his bottom lip.

"No, now we meditate. Then we wait." Vayu said with a smile and patted the spot next to him. Nuri reluctantly wandered over, and assumed the position. Vayu instructed him to close his eyes, and he did as he was told. He tried to clear his mind, he tried to stop thinking about the possibility that Ignis wouldn't wake up, and he tried to stop thinking of his sister and how he was going to have to face her one time or another. He tried to stop thinking that he was going to have to let her go, and that soon he would probably forget her face, and hopefully all her blood. Subconsciously he knew he'd never be able to forget that day, subconsciously he knew that the image of his once smiling sister would forever be replaced by the way her face contorted in horror the day the Knights chopped her head off. He knew he wouldn't remember the way his father used to take him hunting and let him light the arrow that he'd only remember their charred corpses and the way his tears seared through their bodies. Suddenly he couldn't sit down anymore. His eyes snapped open, and immediately he rose from his position. Vayu did the same, as if they had been in synch for a short period of time. A frown ripped through his features.

"I thought you said you were ready to face them." Vayu remarked as he watched Nuri run a hand through his hair.

"Well, apparently I'm not." He shook his head, "I can't do this. Not now." And then he was off, walking off the a secluded spot not far from their camp, trying desperately to forget Kai's face the day it all happened.

Avani suddenly shot up, and exclaimed, "I need to find her!"

"Find who?" Meri asked sceptically.

"Someone," Avani shook her head and looked down at Meri, who sat up, "pack your stuff, we're going to the Capital. It's time he learned the truth."

"What?" Meri's voice rung through the clear mountain air, "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

"I know, but just... pack a bag, we're going to stir a corpse." Avani said as she disappeared from the room. Meri shook her head in confusion and rose from the floor. She tried to rack her brains for what Avani could possibly be on about, but couldn't find anything besides the guy she'd mentioned earlier, Kuro. Finally she followed Avani into her room, and watched as she folded clothes and place it neatly, but hastily into a satchel.

"What exactly are you going to do in the Capital?" Meri asked.

"I'm going to see some... family." Avani replied with a certain amount of hesitation to her voice.

"I wasn't aware you had family in the Capital." Meri shook her head in disbelief, "I thought you were an orphan."

"Please," Meri heard the desperation in Avani's voice as she spoke, "don't ask questions, just help me convince your father to let us go to the Sovereign Capital."

Meri exhaled, "alright, I'll help you convince my father." She said finally. Avani's face held gratitude as Meri departed to place some clothes in a bag for their impromptu trip. She had no idea how her father was going to react to their sudden request but she knew that he wasn't going to be very happy about it. She hoped Avani's manipulation skills were better than hers for both their sakes. Avani appeared in her doorway, and asked, "are you ready?"

"I suppose." Meri answered with a shrug of her shoulders, "let's go."

Avani nodded quickly, and turned around, heading for the stairs. They descended softly, almost as if they were trying not to wake Milo up, even though he wasn't sleeping. Milo was in his study, reading some or other book on Magi Combat Styles, completely immersed in the book. When he gazed up, a smile flitted over his features.

"Meri, Avani. What can I do for you?" He asked politely.

"Milo," Avani said in a business-like tone, "I need to go to the Sovereign Capital, and Meri needs to come with me."

"What business do you possibly have in the Capital, Avani?" Milo asked, "surely you are done with the assassination business." He remarked quickly.

"I am, but there is someone I need to see, and someone I need to explain things to. It's important that I go now, and not a second later." Avani said firmly. Meri saw her father's expression soften under her pressure.

"Alright. But on one condition, you must be back in four days time, are we clear Avani?" Milo asked, his voice firm. Avani nodded in agreement.

"Four days, I promise, Milo." Avani said quickly, and offered him a smile. Milo stopped Meri on the way out.

"Just keep her out of trouble." He said sincerely.

"I promise, papa." Meri replied with a smile, and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. It was odd, but they'd gotten ridiculously close in the last couple of days, she didn't know how or why, but she'd never felt that close with Kaija in all of the sixteen years she's been alive. Avani was tapping her foot impatiently when Meri finally came out of the Manor.

"Come on," Avani urged, "we need to get to the Portal. It's the fastest way to the Capital."

"The Portal?" Meri asked with a confused frown on her face.

"You're going to love it." Avani mused as she weaved her way through the thick crowd of golden auras. It was easy for her to weave her way through the crowd, it was something she'd been doing for as long as she could remember. She tried not to draw too much attention to herself, her old assassin ways catching up to her once again. She never could get rid of the mannerisms she picked up as an assassin, the vigilance, being light on her feet, always suspecting the worst of people. It was hard to shake things she'd been doing practically her whole life, and it was hard to forget the things that had happened to her. When Meri told her about Hades, it felt like a chunk of her life had been put back in, and now she needed to make things right. She needed to find them, and she needed to apologize, and she had to convince them to come back. She just had to. They arrived at the Portal quicker than she expected, before she knew it they were standing in front of the familiar, low blue glow of the dumpster. She took a breath, before moving it aside, and then taking Meri's hand.

"Since you don't know where we're going, you'll just have to hold on tight." She said quickly, but before Meri could reply, they stepped into the Portal and it felt like she was floating. For Avani this was normal, she'd used a Portal many times, but Meri had never. They arrived in the busiest street of the Sovereign Capital as Avani pulled her into an empty alleyway. The people came in thousands, walking across the streets, and buying things from the vendors. Meri didn't know whether this was upper class, or lower class, but it seemed Avani had done most of her dealings here. Avani produced a hood from her satchel, and handed it to Meri. She took a similar looking one out for herself.

"Put this on, it will mask your aura. There's no telling what the Sovereign Knights have developed." She said as she pulled her two buns loose. Her hair fell in curly locks that cascaded down to right below her breasts. She then pulled out a kohl pencil from her satchel, and looked at Meri.

"We're going to have to look like we belong." She produced a mirror from her satchel, and started applying a thick line of kohl to her eyes, winging it at the end. Then she turned to Meri, and did the same. The pencil felt funny on her eyes, but she held still and saw her appearance in the mirror. Her eyes were accentuated, and she looked older, more sophisticated and less like some stupid village maiden. Then Avani took a brush from her satchel and ran it through Meri's hair, she made it hang in straight locks that ended just below her chin, and then nodded as she brushed her long hair as well. It was different seeing Avani with her hair down, it made her look older, and more sensual, almost like she were going hunting for men. Meri supposed she had a lot of experience in looking sensual since she had to learn to be beautiful at a young age. Avani stepped out of the alleyway with a confident smile decorating her already breath-taking face. Meri attempted to try and do the same but it was as if Avani had perfected the ways of the Capital women, it was hard for her to follow Avani's well-practiced lead. She approached one of the smoke-billowing contraptions that seemed the dash over the cobblestone streets, and offered the man standing next to it a polite, but confident grin.

"My friend and I are visiting the Capital for the night, but we need to get back to the countryside. Is there any way you could take us?" Her voice took on a saccharine tone, and her eyes sparkled in the moonlight. The man turned to pudding in her manicured hands.

"Of course, ladies." He said, and opened a door on the side. On the inside it was seemingly lavish, the seats decorated with a red silk-like fabric. Avani stepped in first, keeping her eyes on the road as the smoke billowed from the back of the contraption and suddenly they were moving. Meri's eyes were glued to the window as she watched the world dash by her in snippets of glimmering gold lights.

"Where to?" The man asked.

"Just outside the Capital Gates should be fine, we can walk from there." Avani replied sweetly, still keeping her composure.

"Are you sure? I could drive you to your house?" The man offered, and Avani uttered a sickly sweet giggle, and waved him off.

"No thank you, I'm sure we can manage, kind sir." She said, her voice an octave higher than normal. It was odd hearing Avani manoeuvre her way around this unsuspecting stranger. The contraption slowed down in front of a street where similar contraptions dashed past them in quick flits of bright yellow lights. Avani looked to the side of the road, and suddenly her eyes went wide.

"Here is fine." She said quickly, placing some money on the seat, and dashing out. Meri did the same, confused, and hoping Avani knew what she was doing. There in the pub they had passed, she saw him sitting, or rather moping. His hair was still as curly as it was when she was a kid, and he still had terrible posture. She sauntered into the club, with Meri trailing behind her, sitting down next to the stranger. He seemed to be relatively intoxicated, drowning himself in a dark copper coloured liquid. The entire setting was completely different to Meri, the atmosphere was clouded with a white-grey coloured smoke that came from the men and women's mouth, and it was both jovial and depressing. The auras in the room ranged from jovial yellow, to depressing dark grey. The man they were sitting next to, his aura was strangely a faint gold, with a tinge of dark blue. His golden brown eyes bore holes into the grungy table top, and his hair hung low around his ears. Sitting next to them, in all of his glory, was William Atthill, the Sovereign Prince. He still looked the same as when she saw him at the Academy, it just looked as if the stress had taken its physical toll on him. All Avani had to do now was to convince him to follow her.

"You look like hell." Her steady voice rung through his ears, and as he gazed sideways to look at her, all he saw was those eyes. Those same glittering jade eyes he'd seen leaping out of the Palace window that night. His eyes went wide, but he shook his head.

"Thanks." He shot back with a stupid laugh. At least he could take a joke, Avani thought.

"And it looks like you've had enough of those." She pointed to the drink with a laugh.

"No, I think I'm good." He replied playfully.

"Confessions of a borderline alcoholic." Avani shook her head, the smile still on her face.

"Takes one to know one." William replied. She could see he was racking his brains for something, probably trying to remember where he'd seen her before.

He looked her straight in the eyes, "do I know you?" he asked, his voice actually kind of sincere. For a minute she contemplated lying, or making up some sexy kind of lie that would get him to kiss her, so that she cold tell him while he was half high off her scent and half drunk off the expensive alcohol he'd been consuming all night. She knew she had to be forward with him, for this to work, for him to even consider trusting her; she needed to be extremely forward. There was no other way to go about it. She kept her confident smile on her face.

"Yes," she said without hesitation, "I'm Avani Sai, your father's assassin. Nice to meet you." She could see his eyes widen and his aura cloud over with rage. She shot Meri an apologetic smile, and watched as William reached for a sheathed dagger in his left boot. She barely dodged his swipe before darting out of the bar, and she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She could hear him swearing as he bounded after her.

It was strange for him, it was almost like she wanted to be caught, just when he thought he'd lost her, there she'd be, waiting for him around the corner, seamlessly dodging his half-hearted swipe at her jugular. She wasn't fighting back, and he couldn't comprehend why. She was taunting him, and he hated that. He knew her eyes seemed familiar when she appeared in that dingy bar, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He cursed himself for drinking so much, his senses were dulled. If she were going to assassinate him, now would be the perfect time. He doubted she could possibly dream of fighting him while he was sober. She was beckoning him further and further away from the Capital, and before he knew it they had passed the Gates. He wondered where the hell she was running off to, he didn't understand the situation in the slightest. Her approach was so straightforward, but her demeanour and behaviour right then was so mysterious, it was enough to knock William straight off his feet. He pushed himself forward relentlessly, he let her go at the Academy, but he was not going to let her go this time. Sadly she disappeared in the woods, and exhausted from the running and drunk from the alcohol, William Atthill collapsed on the outskirts of the woods.

It was her intention to tire him out as she darted into the woods. Their house was just past this thicket, and if she could make her way through fast enough, maybe she'd get back to him in an hour. The cottage she'd organised for them still stood elegantly among the other cottages on the small dirt road. It didn't look any different from any of the other houses on the street, it blended in perfectly, and she was thankful for that as she knocked on the door. He looked different, he'd swapped his clean-shaven face for a lumberjack beard, and his fancy clothes for a set of worn down overalls. He still smelt like lavender, and she still felt at home in his arms.

"Vani?" His pristine accent was still a dead giveaway, so much so, she burst into hysterics, laughing and crying at the same time. Her emotions were always all over the place whenever it concerned him. She heard her voice in the background, calling, beckoning. It still sounded the same, and she found comfort in that.

"What happened, Vani?" Sein Atthill asked, as she gazed up into his blue eyes.

"Nothing," Avani said with a grin, wiping her tears, "I just missed you, that's all."

"It's barely been a month since you last visited, Avani." She heard Suni Atthill call from inside, "Sein! Let the poor girl in."

"Right!" Sein said with a lopsided grin as he helped her inside. The interior of their cottage felt like home to her.

"I'm not here for a visit, sorry." She said in an apologetic tone, "something's happened, and I think it's time to tell William."

"What's happened?" Sein asked, confused.

"My past is catching up to me, old man. I'm going to get trampled if I don't run fast enough. It's time for you to come out of retirement, the Gods know the Aureans need it." Avani said with a bitter laugh.

"Your past?" Sein asked, obviously confused since Avani neglected to mention she had been an assassin for Iman.

"Never mind that, it's time, Sein," she said ominously, "it's time to stop hiding."

"But you said—" He tried but she stopped him before he could go any further.

"I know what I said, but it's been two years since then, times have changed. The man who wanted you dead then is long dead now." Avani explained.

"How do you know?" Sein asked, in a panicked tone, "how do you know he isn't still lurking around somewhere, out for our blood?"

"I just know, Sein. I just know, and you need to trust that I know." Avani said with a tone of finality to her voice, "it's time for you two to stop hiding."

"It's a shame," said Suni, "this place was starting to grow on me."

"Do we have to go back right now?" Sein asked.

"No, it's too early for that. Right now I just need you to come with me and see William." Avani replied with a soft smile, as she watched Suni's eyes gloss over with a coat of tears.

"How is he? I've heard such terrible news from the farm goers, things about him going insane with grief, and killing Aureans left and right." She looked to Avani with those eyes, while Avani just shook her head.

"It's true. Your death warped William; it threw him on a path that he wasn't meant to travel. And the fact that Iman is such a tyrant didn't exactly help his predicament." Avani replied solemnly.

"Where is he now?" Suni asked.

"He's on the outskirts of the forest, I lead him here." Avani explained, "we should go get him, he's intoxicated and probably confused as to why I kept waiting for him to round the corners."

"I suppose we should go and get him then." Suni said quickly as she watched Sein practically chew his fingernails off, "we'll be right back." She said as she placed a kiss on his lips and lingered there for a moment longer. Sein's cloudy blue eyes locked with her golden ones for a second, and she willed herself to look away. She followed Avani outside, who had produced a dagger from out of thin air.

"Your abilities have gotten stronger." She remarked as she watched Avani produce the dagger.

"I've been training." Avani explained with a soft smile.

"I'm sorry about Sein," she apologized, "he's developed anxiety about leaving the house sometimes, and it just gets too much for him, it's getting worse. Sometimes he won't even go to chop wood for the fire, I think he's still scared someone is going to try and hurt him."

"I don't blame him, knowing someone is out there trying to murder you isn't exactly comforting, trust me." Avani replied as they neared the forest. She led Suni through the forest gently, slicing some of the lower and smaller branches off to make a clearer path. William was slouched against a tree, the way Avani had left him. His skin shone pallidly in the moonlight and Suni's tears glistened against the pale light.

"William." She breathed out, and embraced him in her arms. It seemed he was still out for the count, however.

"He's asleep, I think." Avani reasoned, "we could try and wake him up."

Suni nodded, and from out of the ground she produced a small little bit of water, just enough to splash in his face. Sometimes Avani forgot Suni was Aurean, a Halfling, someone who could only harness an ability to a certain extent. Suni's family wasn't one of the more prominent Aurean families either, in human politics her family was well known, but among the Aureans they weren't particularly regarded highly. She proceeded to splash the water in William's face gently, while he sprung up like an agile rabbit, even though it looked more like he was falling over his feet. The dagger he'd had in the bar was still firmly in his hand, but as his vision came into focus and he laid his eyes on Suni, it dropped to the floor, and he could barely get out a word.

"Mot...her?" He managed to choke out after a while, Suni nodded, eyes full of tears and embraced him. He tried to hug back, but he was paralysed. He thought maybe the alcohol was making him see things, but hallucinations couldn't hug you, right? He saw a set of green eyes in the darkness, and within a millisecond he was in front of Suni, holding his fists up protectively.

"Whoa, there." Avani warned, "you're drunk, and I'm a trained assassin. Let's not see who can win here."

"Who are you?" He asked, his voice slurred with sleep.

"I'm Avani Sai, I told you this already." She replied, "but I think you should rather be asking why are you here?"

"Why am I here?" William asked impatiently.

"I'm not going to harm your mother in any way. Neither will I want to in the future, you're young, William, so you probably won't remember me, but you used to know me. A long time ago." Avani said with a soft smile gracing her features. William racked his brains for her face, but all he could remember was the night she tried to kill his parents. The rage boiled over his edges, and pushed him forward, straight into Avani Sai. She dodged his half-hearted attack with malevolent grace, and he kept trying to come at her with his fists. He was strung up like a jack-in-the-box, and Avani knew if she could just get him to stop moving, he'd have to listen to her. She sighed, and balled her left hand into a fist, stopping his movements. It felt as if she had paralysed him, and it only angered him more.

"Now, listen here, kid," Avani said firmly, "I'm not an assassin anymore, and I don't plan on reawakening that part of me by murdering you, so I need you to stop and think."

"About what?" William exclaimed, "you killed my parents, or at least I thought you did! Now there's my mother in the background and I'm confused!"

"I know you are, Will." She said, hoping the nickname Sein had used on him as a child would ring a bell.

"Vani?" His eyes held a look of recognition, as he recalled the times he had gone with Sein to the orphanage and she had helped him with combat skills. How when she was in the Academy, he would go and visit her, even though his uncle didn't like it, and they'd sit in her room, while she talked about all the Magi she'd seen and tell him about the new moves she'd learned. He remembered her now, her eyes, the same eyes that glittered in the moonlight, but not the moonlight of that night, the moonlight seeping through her bedroom windows.

"Hey, kiddo." She laughed out of relief.

"What the hell is going on?" William breathed out as Avani let loose her grip on his bones.

"I promise I'll explain everything, but not tonight. Tonight you need to sleep off the alcohol, because it's a lot to process." She said and he replied with a short nod.

"Come on," Suni said from behind him, "let's go home, baby." He fell into his mothers arms like he used to as a child, and this time he promised himself he'd never let her go again.