What We Seek

Vorgith marched the halls of The Seekers Palace, it’s cool stone corridors redoubling the sound of his footsteps, echoing them back to him as he walked. He passed many other Seekers as he walked the halls, all dressed in their black and white uniforms or, as in Vorgith's case, Brown hunting leathers, indicative of the Earth elementals that had recently returned from a hunt.

As he walked Vorgith passed several windows, all showing the high placement of the Palace and giving views of the city below them, shining like a jewel in the evening light. The glow globes were activating through the city, making it sparkle gently, and giving the whole scene an ethereal quality.

The young seeker observed none of it, seeing the sight many times over the years and having lost interest in it long ago. Where he went now held far greater attraction to the earth elemental. He eventually reached the room he had been aiming for, deep inside the palace, a place only fully qualified seekers could walk and sealed against all but the earth elementals who came here, the Dark and Air elementals using other parts of the vast palace of their business.

Before the Seeker stood a vast slab of granite, darkly contrasting against the lighter stone walls surrounding them. It was through this block that Vorgith needed to proceed, as his goal lay beyond. There was an access panel inset in the wall, but this was merely a ploy, and would shock anyone who tried to use it, alerting the guards to any unauthorised entry. Instead the Earth elemental put his hands against the rock, and concentrated for a moment, focusing his power on a specific point and pushing with his mind.

There was a groan, and suddenly the Granite split, folding away from the focus point like a flower to open a man sized hole, just big enough for two people to walk through side by side.

Vorgith turned and gestured to a pair of human surfs who had been following him, their downcast eyes showing their servitude as they carried a large crate between them.

The group entered the passageway beyond, this one dimly lit and full of doors. Vorgith led the Humans to a specific one, telling them to deposit their cargo inside and remove it from its crate. The two humans produced a pair of pry-bars and set about removing the nails, each one being removed an placed in a special bag, ready for re-use.

When they finally opened the crate they revealed a humanoid form, wrapped in a white sheet and apparently sleeping, the faint breaths showing through the material. The pair then lifted the form from the crate and un-wrapped it, placing it on a wooden chair in the room, a plain thing with wooden manacles attached. It also seemed that it was rooted into the floor, the legs blending smoothly with the stone.

They removed the sheet and placed the figure in the chair, attaching the manacles as Vorgith watched dispassionately. It was a woman, in her middle years, which he had caught several days before, hunting in the wild far from the main paths walked by people of Loftas even when they were on a usual hunt.

She was also an elemental. Quite possibly a Brigidites caught far from her underground stronghold. He did not know her powers, or how strong she would be, but the room they were in would prevent all but a particular Seeker from using their abilities, so he would be safe.

The Humans finished attaching the Woman to the chair, with all her limbs and her neck shackled to the seat, allowing her no movement and keeping the interviewer in control. Vorgith waved the humans out, and then turned to the Woman. He touched a wall panel, turning all but one glow globe off, and turning the remaining one to a bright beam, eliminating only the Elemental and keeping the room dark. He then walked over and administered a small vial from his belt pouch, pouring some into her mouth and holding her head so it would go into her stomach and not her lungs.

Stepping back he didn’t have to wait long before she came around. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, then widened as she realised she had been bolted to a chair in a black room. She began to struggle, but stopped when Vorgith spoke from the darkness.

“It is useless to struggle, you are quite powerless here.” He said, his deep voice designed to evoke fear in the mind of a captive. He walked be slowly, going in behind the chair before putting his mouth close to her ear but out of her sight line. “Tell me, do you know where you are?” He asked.

TAG TBC

[TruthSayer]

OOC: Just wondering if this is open for roleplay yet? Not sure because of the "TAG TBC".

OOC: Yes, sorry, It is open to any who want to join in, I just thought I'd already mentioned that . My mistake.

[TruthSayer]

OOC: Yes, I saw the description line, but the TAG TBC that was still there gave me pause ^_^ That being said, I’m glad to know this is open! I am so interested in this one.

I’m going to use Hana, an NPC from Duto’s bio.

IC: Hana felt her mouth go dry, and for a moment there were nothing in her mind except absolute fear.

Hana was a Dark Elemental; she had the ability to see as clear as day in zero light, manipulate the shadows around her, and send her mind racing through them, but as she attempted to do so from the chair she was strapped to, the power within her was sluggish and unresponsive, as though she'd drunk too much wine.

Her mind was jumbled, as well. She remembered the Searchers party entering Loftas, intent on liberating a cell of human slaves who were the property of an elite noblewoman known for her cruelty towards them, the information brought to Aisling's Reach by a spy among the Loftian hierarchy.

The plan was smooth, flawless: enter Loftas through the underground labyrinth of waterways. Hana cloaked the shadows around the small group carefully, warning them to move slowly along the narrow stone shelves on either side of the aqueduct to keep them well hidden. The Air among them caught and muffled the sounds they made to nearly nonexistent while an Earth Elemental very carefully masked the vibrations of their footfalls through the stone. They made their way cleanly around the sparse guards placed in intervals along the channel until they were directly below the keep where the noblewoman kept her slaves... and then nothing.

But that wasn't right, Hana's mind screamed, her thoughts racing as fast as her breaths. There had to more to it! But the more she poked and prodded through her memories, the more the truth of what had happened strayed farther and farther away.

What of those with her? Were they captured, as well? Or had someone already sent word back to the Reach that the plan had somehow gone disastrously wrong?

The man who whispered in her ear was breathing softly on her neck, stirring the stray hairs there; she shivered and turned her head away, struggling to find the grit that had kept her alive in the Wilds, breathing a sigh of relief when she grabbed a tenuous hold on it.

"Why? Don't you?" she asked sweetly, voice stronger than she felt; she was terrified. "And would you stop breathing on my neck? Your breath stinks."

Vorgith raised an eyebrow at the captured woman's words. She was surprisingly strong willed, most were demoralised when they realised their position, but this one had some stone in her. He liked that, despite everything. However, he would not let that cloud his judgement.

He moved back slightly, returning to the darkness whilst still behind her. "I thought the people of Reach were educated." He moved slightly, "You are in a cell, At the mercy of the Seekers of Loftas no less. You should be honoured." He moved again, his footfalls silent as he changed direction.

"I'm sure you understand the sort of danger you're in, so you would do well to tell me what I want to know." he moved again, not so far as previously, just enough. "We can start with your name."

[TruthSayer]

Oh, go to hell, Hana thought, pushing furiously at the power within her; it shivered under her touch but was as thick as cold honey.

She closed her eyes and took several deep even breaths, willing her pounding heart to slow, her mind to focus on one thought instead of racing useless around itself, but it was a struggle, and she wasn't as successful as she had hoped.

"M-Malika," Hana lied, her eyes following the voice in the darkness; in her fear, the education she had received in Aisling's Reach faded, leaving her with a distinct Wilder's drawl. "And I ain't telling you shit." Gods, she hoped she wouldn't tell him anything.

~*~


In Aisling's Reach, Gabriel Cain sat on the rooftop of the home he shared with his pledge-mate, staring at the entrance set high into the ceiling above. Chewing slowly on a stock of wheat, he could feel the fire of his power lick at his restraint as worry slowly worked itself through his being.

It hadn't been more than three days since Hana had left, and she wouldn't be expected back for another five, at least; they would have to move slow, especially if the humans they were sent to liberate were injured or malnourished. It didn't stop Gabriel from worrying, though.

OOC: And now, Gabriel has been brought into this. I don't have a bio for him at the moment, but he's not considered NPC. Feel free to torture Hana a bit. That should be fun, lol!

There was a smile on the seekers lips as the young elementals nerves began to loosen and her tongue became more course. Even her words gave him some clues as to who she was, even if the name she gave was false. She was a wilder, or had been, and had been taken in by the fools of Reach in an attempt to tame her.

"So, Malika..." He paused to through some doubt upon her name. "What can you tell me of your mission to the fair city? Why where you and your co-conspirators creeping through our serwers. I can assume it wasn’t for our health." He said.

To emphasise his point he gestured to the seat, sending a ripple of power out into the wooden seat. The wood rippled, and from nowhere thorns began to grow, razor sharp and red as blood. Several small ones began to rise in the chairs handle, running along like a minute wave, well within the prisoner’s eye line. From the seats board headboard another spine emerged, far longer and sharper than the others, extending so it just missed the captive’s ear and passed her head, entering into her eyesight like a spear point.

"Why were you here?" He repeated sternly, walking out in front of her, although he still kept deep into the shadows.

[TruthSayer]

Hana's eyes flared wide when the thorns, needle sharp and piercing, moved along the calloused flesh of her pinned hands, rolling in a slow wave up the more tender flesh of her forearms. The spike next to her head moved close enough to catch a strand of her hair, tugging it painfully, and once more she sought out the power within her, but it would not respond to her call.

"You got a rat problem," Hana bit out breathlessly, attempting to strain away from the chair, and could have sworn the bonds holding her to it moved just slightly. She pulled hard against them again, and was sure of it; the thought was enough to allow a flash of hope through her veins even as the knowledge that this man knew of the rest of the Searchers part was like a fist to her stomach; for a moment she was certain she could hear a muffled cry through the walls of her prison, but the sound faded too quickly for her to believe it was anything more than her imagination. "Jus' wanted to help out my neighbors in a momen' of charity. Haven't you never done nothin' like that? Or does your supreme hierarchy not allow helpin' outta friend?"

"Oh, of course. It is always our intention to help. We help those who have forgotten their place, who have denied the truth and dropped away into an idealistic abyss. We help keep order in a world of chaos, and maintain sanity in the face of lunacy. We help you and your ilk every day by liberating them from the life that they misuse and sending them on to a better place."

The Seeker stopped, taking a silent breath to calm himself. He was experienced at interrogation techniques, but still, he found it hard to contain himself in the face of such flagrant adversity to his way of life. Still, he needed to turn back to the task in hand.

He stretched out a hand, still keeping to the darkness as he manipulated the thorns. They began to curve back in on themselves, the smaller spines pointing at her arms whilst the head thorn turned round to halt only a few centimetres from "Malika's" eyeball.

"Forgive me, I strayed from the topic at hand. Tell me, Why were you in our sewers? Was it an attempt at espionage? Or were you attempting an attack on our fair city."

He moved the thorns, twitching them as if they itched to pierce her skin. "Tell me." he said calmly, waiting for her to answer.

[TruthSayer]

Hana froze again, her fingers straining away from the hard wood of the hand rests to form grotesque claws that scraped uselessly through the air- but she felt the restraints around her wrists shift just the slightest bit more; another minute and she'd be able to slip her hands free. Her eyes were wide, locked onto the thorn that hovered, shaking, so close to her eye; tears from not blinking rose and blurred her vision before slipping wetly down her cheeks.

"You and your ilk," Hana snorted, derision clear in her tone even as she licked lips gone dry from fright, "like to kick puppies, drown kittens, and murder small children. How the hell is that helping anyone?"

If she could keep him talking... Just keep him talking for a few minutes more, she would have enough room to wriggle her hands free, and, the power within her sluggish and unresponsive or not, she would be the death of him.

Vorgith smiled as he replied, "But puppies and Kittens do grow into useful animals, as do small children. Why kill what you can use? But you, you and your 'movement'." He paused, giving an audible sigh. "You continue to deny your true heritage, and by so doing lose all usefulness."

He had noticed her efforts, and was glad. The first stage, defiance, was almost over, and once she had tried to break her bonds there would be a lot less resistance. He glanced over to the wards on the walls, confirming their strength with a glance before continuing on. He moved back behind her, taking up his original place before continuing.

"Now, are you going to answer my question or do I need to be more... Direct." He made a subtle gesture and the thorns over her left arm jabbed downwards, piercing the skin and drawing some blood.

[TruthSayer]

For a long, breathless moment, the world was a white hot pulse of pain raiding from her arm, the longest of the thorns having gone right through her flesh to the wood on the other side, pinning her. She screamed, the sound reverberating off the closed-in walls to slam back into her with the same force of agony that burned through her arm. She took deep, fast breaths, and to steady herself bit into her tongue with enough force to pierce the flesh; hot metallic blood flooded her mouth, mixing with the salt of the tears that tracked along her lips. Her breath whistled through her throat, a grunting animalistic sound that gurgled through the blood in her mouth.

"Go... to... hell..." Hana panted through her teeth, thick strings of blood seeping from between her teeth to soak into the heavy linen of her shirt. She took another deep breath, raised her face from where she had lowered it against her chest, and spat a mouthful of blood with enough force to send it flying into the shadows where the man's voice had been coming from; whether it hit the man or not didn't matter. What mattered was that Hana would breathe her last before she betrayed her brethren.

The Seeker cursed to himself (In the privacy of his own thoughts) as he saw the thorn punch through the woman’s arm and embed itself in the wooded arm. The forsaken thing was old, and getting a new one made was a lengthy process. However, they all tended to become temperamental with age, and he had to be careful that it did not go beyond his original commands or this could get messy. The rouge spine was quite small, no thicker than a feathers quill, but he left it in the arm, just to stop here bleeding everywhere if nothing else.

Far from the Blood spat his way he decided to use this to his advantage as his detainee struggled to stay calm. "You really should be thankful. Few of your kind are lucky enough to have an elemental of my ken to interrogate you. However, if you continue your stubborn crusade of obstinacies then I will be forced to call for others to join me."

He took a small flask of water from his belt and took a quiet drag before replacing it. "I hear the air elementals like to suck all the oxygen out of a room, leave you gasping like a fish on the nothing in your lungs as you struggle to draw breath for minuets at a time. The stories of the Dark ones are worse, sending you mental visions of torment that make mere physical pain look like a healing balm. They could drive you mad, have you spill all your secrets and leave you babbling, a mindless husk of your former self."

He paused as if considering it. "Maybe I should do that. We could take you out in chains to the markets; leave you there for the people to laugh at as you drool, their children throwing food at you as the sun slowly kills you. A fitting example to all those who resist us, don't you agree." His voice had become more menacing as he spoke; losing any camaraderie he may have once shown in his voice.

"Now, will you tell me what I want to know?" he asked.

[TruthSayer]

Hana was slowly coming to the realization that she probably wasn't going to make it out of this alive. The sting in her arm was agony, and with each beat of her heart, her tongue throbbed excruciatingly. She spat again to clear her mouth and licked her lips to wet them, smearing them with thin swaths of blood in the process. Her chest heaved as her lungs struggled to expand around the pain, and for a moment the room swam in a blackened, tunnel-like gaze before she managed to focus on a single spot on the floor in front of her. Slowly, the encroaching blackness faded to nothing more than an annoying haze that lingered around the edges of Hana's sight; delving down within herself to touch the power within her helped it to fade away completely.

"Go... to... HELL!" Hana snarled. She would never talk.

Vorgith sighed, audibly this time. "I can see that you will to be swayed by reason. To be frank, I have better things to do then trade barbs with a thankless creature such as you. If you will not answer the questions then I have no further need to remain here."

He headed towards the door, his footsteps no longer concealed. As he reached the door he brought the lighting levels around her down to its minimum setting. "Maybe some time alone will give you a new perspective. I'll be seeing you soon." the last word had a sibilant tone. However he was not done. Exiting quickly through the small door he put his hand on the wall and concentrated.

In the camber there was a rumble, like a small earthquake was going on. Then the walls began closing in. First the door was sealed, and then the other walls closed in, each grinding along the floor to stop mere inches from the prisoners secure form. Then the ceiling light was cut off as the roof finally came down, settling above her, almost touching the top of her head. Then everything was quiet.

Outside Vorgith dusted off his palm and set off out of the chambers. He needed to report to his superiors, regardless of the results.

[TruthSayer]

Hana hated enclosed spaces. She was a Wilder by birth, used to wide open skies full of stars, cooling breezes sweeping across valley floors, and fresh air that smelled of thick dew in the mornings; Aisling's Reach had been difficult enough to adjust to, despite the high ceiling miles above the cave's floor.

This small room was going to kill her.

Her breath was loud, magnified tenfold by the walls so close to her, fast and panicked. Her heart beat furiously with fear, the rhythm magnified excruciatingly in her forearm where it lay nailed to the chair, and in desperation, she dove within herself toward the power that lay within, jabbing at the unmoving mass in a panic that spiked higher with each passing moment it failed to respond. Sweat ran in rivers down her flesh, stinging her eyes, and she realized that the all-encompassing darkness around her was not due to her closing her eyes, and that magnified the panic even more.

She was powerless. The darkness surrounding her that had once been as intimate to her as a lover had betrayed her and lay unresponsive to her call.

Hana did not fear pain. She laughed in the face of death. But this? This darkness and closeness was a terror she had never before known, and she prayed to gods long dead for absolution of it.

Vorgith left the Earth interrogation chambers behind him, releasing the two human servants from his service after reopening the Granite door, allowing them to return to their regular duties as he made his way to the council chambers. Passing back through the corridors the view from many large windows showed that night had fallen, the darkness pricked by lights in the sky and a pale luminesce from the city below.

A few young trainees of the order who had just left evening classes stopped to observe the view, looking out over Loftas with awe on their faces, admiring the vista beyond the glass. However the approach of a Seeker, even one dressed in stained hunting garb and looking sleep deprived, was enough to send them scurrying back to their dormitories.
Before attending the Council of Seekers Vorgith diverted to his chambers, a large room in the west if the palace, with numerous small windows giving a view over the distant forests of the wilderness as opposed to the sprawling mass of the city behind him.

He checked his terminal for any received messages, then removed his hunter’s garb and folded it neatly, placing it in the cleaning unit for processing. Bathing briefly he then donned the black and white uniform of a Seeker, the softer fabrics unfamiliar after so long in his hunting cloth. Taking his belt he left again, sealing his rooms and journeying to the centre of the Palace, to one of the highest floors.

Here was where the Council of Seekers sat, a group of four individuals. Three were chosen from the separate elemental groups serving as Seekers, whilst one was chosen by the supremacy to oversee all matters of the Seekers, although in this age the post was merely figurative, and had little power over the other serving councillors.

The atrium which the Seeker first entered was a tall room made from Granite and gold, its dark ceiling almost unperceivable above Vorgith’s head. Five statues stood in the atrium each representing an element who had served with the Seekers sometime in the past. There had been no fire or light elementals in the Seekers for a generation, and so their statues stood to the side whilst the Earth, Dark and Air elementals dominated. Across from where Vorgith entered stood two massive doors, both made from steel and inlayed with bronze. Above the doors, carved in the very rock, was the Seekers motto: “Power from Knowledge, Knowledge from Secrets”, written in the old tongue.

From a corner desk two elementals approached, both large individuals who towered over Vorgith. “Do you desire an audience with the council?” He asked, as ritual required.
“I do so desire, and submit to a search. Let any weapon found be the instrument of my death.” Vorgith replied, although deep down he cringed at the high tone and insincerity of such words. He hated ritual, and found such practices hopelessly archaic. Still, it was required. One of the Behemoths held him by the shoulders as the other searched him, turning out his pockets and scanning him with subtle devices to detect any known weapon on his person. After a moment one nodded to the other and stepped back. “No Weapons have been found. You are permitted to enter.”

Vorgith just nodded in response. Walking across the marble floor he managed to reach the other side of the room when a wizen old man in a Seekers uniform stepped from a hidden alcove and intercepted him, just as Vorgith knew he would. In his hand he held a length of cloth, holding it up for the seekers inspection. He nodded again and leant down, allowing the smaller man to tie the cloth around his head, covering his eyes completely and enveloping him in darkness. No-one was permitted to know the identities of the councillors, and this was the best measure to ensure that.

After he had been blindfolded the old man took his hand, and walked him forward, pausing to open the doors as they went, although Vorgith could not hear a sound as the great doors opened silently.
They were now in the council chamber. It was a large room, judges both from the dimensions outside and the echo of Vorgith’s footfalls. After a time they stopped, and the Guide took a step away, although staying close to Vorgith’s blinded form.

Then came a great voice,

“Report.”

[TruthSayer]

The room became sweltering. Sweat beaded out on every surface of Hana's body, the smell cloying and suffocating in the small space.

Her panicked breathing had not slowed, making her lightheaded and thinking became very hard. The pain in her arm had dulled considerably, and she was certain that if there was enough light to see with, or if the Dark within her would respond, the room would be spinning. Nausea rose within her throat as her stomach churned, but she swallowed desperately, afraid that if she vomited, she would breathe it right into her lungs.

Time stretched, ugly and convoluted until she couldn't tell how long she had been alone in that small room - a minute or a month, it made no difference. Desperately, she tried to bring something into her mind to halt the panic, grappling for a memory of her pledge-mate, her children, something, but the memories kept flitting just out of her reach, and each time they did Hana found breathing more and more difficult until she was gasping in little puffs of air that made her head pound, and suddenly the world upended itself, tilted violently, and in the split second before it happened, Hana knew she was going to faint.

OOC: This was hard to write, lol! But it's there ^-^

“I have begun my interrogation of the Prisoner councillor, and it seems to be proceeding as guidelines indicate. She is quite strong willed, and seems to have a higher than usual resistance to pain. However I have managed to discern that she is a wilder, no doubt one captured and domesticated by the Brigidites. Thus she will more than likely respond well to psychological coercion and mental bombardment over physical stimuli. It is likely that it will take several days before we start to see any useful information, but the quantity of information should rise exponentially as we progress.”
Much of this information was off the top of Vorgith’s head. However, his training and experience told him what he needed to predict how the captured elemental would react, although he was sure to add some leeway. After all, every prisoner was an individual, despite what they told the public.
There was a pause, most likely as the councillors conferred amongst themselves. It was always tense when this happened, as Vorgith knew these man and women could order his death on the spot, and there was nothing he could do about it, regardless of whether he had committed an actual offence or not.
“We cannot afford to wait that long seeker, we need the information that woman holds now.” Particular emphasis was placed on the last word, despite the voice emulators the council members used to mask their voices. This comment likely came from the hierarchy appointed overseer, not a true seeker, as they would have known better. “You must go back and extract that information, in any way you can. Unless, of course, you need the other elementals to step in and finish your job for you. “
This last comment shocked Vorgith, and a little anger rose past his usual calm veneer. Despite what he told the prisoner, Seeker elementals took great pride interrogating their captives themselves, and to be asked to give it over to another to finish was a grave dishonour on the seekers in question. Vorgith heard the female councillor let out an angry, if quiet, hiss at the first voice. He suspected this characterless voice was that of the Earth councillor, as she seemed to be the first to defend him in such situations, and she did so now. “We cannot rush this. If we try too hard we may break her completely, then she’ll be useless to everyone, including the other elementals.”
“I do not care.” Said the first voice again, “We need to know where her co-conspirators are. They could be anywhere and anyone.” He sounded more petulant by the moment, although the voce synthesiser made him sound almost like he was being sarcastic.
“Even you?” Said one of the other councillors, their tone as neutral as the first had been, but coming across as far calmer. This was either the dark or air councillor, but Vorgith had never been able to tell which. There only came some impotent stuttering from the first speaker. After a moment the new voice continued. “It is imperative that you use alacrity now, but do not compromise the quality of your… Interview with the suspect.”
“I will not councillor.” Vorgith replied, knowing he had just avoided dishonour by the skin of his teeth.
“The matter is done with then, you are dismissed Seeker Vorgith. We expect positive results.” Came the female councillor’s response, cold as ice through the voce synth. Vorgith just bowed, s procedure dictated, and was led from the chambers by the old man. The doors closed behind them, and Vorgith allowed the mad to remove his blindfold, the atrium suddenly appearing bright in the seeker’s eyes.

“I hate those meetings.” He said to himself, although the old man cocked his head to one side. “Not as much as I hate you though.” Vorgith said to the old man, who then smiled with yellowed teeth as if it were the best joke in the world, although he said nothing, for he was mute.
Vorgith set off back to his chambers to rest. He had a long day tomorrow.

[TruthSayer]

Gabriel Cain was going to kill someone. He was going to kill a lot of someones. Slowly. He was going to gently roast the flesh from their bones in a fashion so lovingly sweet, their thrice-damned souls would be long in the fires of Hell before they would begin to feel the pain. Even as the thoughts raced through his mind and the rage pumped fast and strong through his veins to stroke the natural fire burning within his breast, he could feel it; could feel the sizzle of flesh, could smell the smell of heat-cracked bone and the marrow within boiling like water, could taste the pop of blood and charred flesh as the stench rose high into the air and in through his mouth to coat his tongue in sweet quenching revenge.

Because Hana was dead. He knew that. The message had come just two hours ago from an Earth who had run far and fast from Loftas, alone and slowly seeping blood from a cut above her right eye that trickled down to blur half her vision. She gave the report before collapsing in a boneless heap that their Searchers party had been discovered early on upon reaching Loftas, though they were unsure as to how. The mission was a failure. And Hana and one other were captured while the rest had just managed to get away. The Earth was the least injured out of the small group; the others carried wounds that stopped them from making the long journey home, broken bones and internal injuries, collapsed lungs and busted skulls.

The fight to escape had been a hard one.

And Hana was dead, because there was no way she would give the Loftas pigs the information they sought, and they’d kill her for her refusal.

“Gabri-!“

The world was a black and burning place, all color replaced by a dark flame that consumed everything around it, including the sounds that rushed around him in a monochrome haze.

“Gabri-! Calm do-!”

Even his flesh caught fire, though it did not burn as the rest would burn. No, his flesh caught the fire and consumed it, became one with it, and the rage coursing in white spikes through the black flame was the same as Gabriel’s heart: broken and desperate and without remorse for what he was about to do.

“Not working!… have to… now!”

Truth was, Gabriel had never been very good at containing his emotions despite the training he had received. Some in Aisling’s Reach treated him with trepidation because of this, walked carefully, spoke softly, and avoided confrontation when at all possible. His world was purposefully kept clean of the turmoil that often plagued other’s, for the very reasons he now allowed to rush over him in a wave.

“DAD!”

The black flame froze where it burned, motionless. The rage within him and the tastes and smells that assaulted him faded into the black flame, was consumed by it, even as it transformed the flame in a calm red and yellow glow once again. They faded, grew soft and gentle, and cleared completely until all that was left was the person standing in front of him, staring at him in anger and concern, and the wreckage of burned buildings, charred earth, and dead animals.

“Duto?” Gabriel muttered; his voice was rough, nearly inhuman, and it hurt to speak. Maybe he had been screaming, he wasn’t sure.

“Dad,” Duto breathed, and drew his arms around Gabriel’s neck, holding him tightly even as he buried his face in his adopted father’s throat. “We’ll get her back, Gabe. You just havta hold up till we do, right?”

Gabriel blinked slowly and raised his arms to encircle his son. Around him, the black of scorch marks were drown out by the water running in calm rivers through them; all around him was dripping, and Gabriel was soaking wet. Gabriel glanced at the large fountain that stood in the center of Aisling’s Reach; it was remarkable empty.

Gabriel held his son tighter, a slight shudder working its way through him. “I’m ok, kid,” he whispered. “I’m good now.”

“Good,” Duto said, stepping back. “’Cause you ain’t no good to nobody going crazy like that.”

Gabriel huffed and wiped the sweat from his brow. “Your teachers wouldn’t like you talkin’ like that.”

Duto shrugged. “My teachers ain’t here.” Duto eyed his father closely, a weighing look in his eye. “We can get her back, but not with you going nuts. You have to be able to keep it together.”

“I’ll keep it together,” Gabriel replied gruffly.

They would leave immediately. Knowing the Senate, there was already a group of volunteers gathered for the rescue, and knowing Duto, there was no way he was going to be left behind, academy student be damned.

Gabriel sighed, flexed fingers that still burned with the fires of hate, and looked up at the entrance to Aisling’s Reach high in the cave ceiling, nearly hidden by the distance alone.

Gabriel was going back to Loftas. He was finally going home.