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Chapter Twenty Three~ Brother, Where Art Thou? |
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I skidded around the corner of the alley, the strange mystic light still beamed strong.
Lariel.
I felt myself tense as Hyiru came racing up the street, alone.
I bit back any remarks or scolding to the simple-minded professor and raced into the alley. The light nearly blinded me as I rounded the lone corner to it.
Lariel stood there, his wicked sniggers echoing off the decrepit walls. A man stood against the wall, but hardly by his own will. Lairel's Light Daggers held him pinned to the bricks, piercing both flesh and cloth indescriminately.
Lariel laughed all the harder as he took note of my arrival. He flung yet another of his Light Daggers into the dead man's body. However its dazzeling glowed revealed the lifeless form of Rhyns.
"Rhyns!" I screamed and was at his side in an insance.
Lariel, of course, stood behind me, his wick, glinting eyes watching my every move.
Rhyns was cold, deathly cold. His normally wonderful eyes were dead.
He was dead.
"Lariel, you demon." I hissed as turned on him.
He only laughed at me, uncrossing his arms and taking the insult in stride.
"What are you so angry for brother? I avenged his death?" He snickered, shrugging his hands out wide.
"I know you were here long before he died." I growled and tensed.
He stepped forward, standing within arms reach. He tapped my forehead and laughed again.
"So?" He said laughing at me.
Suddenly Hyiru skidded onto the scene, his frail body heaving and drained from the exertion.
"He was here also." Lariel pointed out and held his arms off to the side.
"Anako!" He panted, his face and eyes sunken with grief.
I took a swing at Lariel's grinning face but he stepped aside and instead embraced me.
"You can do better brother." He whispered in my ear.
"He was only a finite."
I tore free from his, fell back beside Rhyns' body. I splashed in his odd coloured blood. I stared into his eyes, how much they reminded me of mine.
"Lariel." I stated cooly.
"Yes, brother?" He asked, his sly grin in place.
"You can heal him and I can resurrect him." I said, reaching out and stroking Rhyns' cheek.
"Hmm... I guess." He said turning his focus onto his finger nails, closely inspecting them. "But what's in it for me?"
"What?" Hyiru roared, his face red with anger and heat."You would bargin with another's life! You let him be killed!" He screamed, staggering forward a step.
"I could have let a lot more happen too." He replied coldly, his stern visage holding Hyiru in place.
Hyiru balk and fell back against the wall. His eyes started to produce tears as he collasped in on himself.
"Brother..." I whispered, stealing the smirk from his lips.
He pouted at me and knelt beside me.
"Give me that which I desire and I will aid you in your foolishness." He stated dryly, runing his finger's through Rhyns' hair.
I pulled my celestial dagger from robes. It glinted in the dim sun light yet it made no shadow seeing as the light passed right through it. I slide it against my ivory skin, the sharp edge spliting my skin.
Silver globels of blood bloomed from the thin cut, several of them clinging to the Blade's fine edge.
Lariel's normally wicked smile grew feral as he stared at the silver lines of blood racing down my arms. His shaking fingers tentively grasp my arm, drawing my arm up to his trembling lips.
"Bonds to blood, truth to light." I murmured and he licked at the tiny streams of silver, sucking at the tiny wound.
"Darkest night to Dimest lit days." He finshed, his pointed fangs showing plainly now. "Good brother, let us get to work." He snickered, leering at my wound.
I nodded and placed my hand on Rhyns' chest. Lariel stacked his on mine. Together we chanted softly. Soon Hyiru was beside us, chanting with us. His hand fell top Lariel's and the dim glow flared brighter.
Soon all of Rhyns was aglow, his deathly pale face now regaining its colour. He groaned softly, his wounds knitting together. Slowly I pulled his soul back from the nether realm.
How readily he took to death.
I turned my gaze to Lariel, he feigned an innocent look and turned a feral smile on Rhyns.
Hyiru hit him up side the head for me. Lariel turned a balking, shocked look to him. He as about so say something when Rhyns gasped and shrieked in pain.
Lariel pressed down on my hand, biting his lip in concentration. The dim silvery glow took a brozen flare as he forced his healing magics into Rhyns.
Rhyns twitched slightly and moaned softly, his head lolling around with distance extacty.
I sighed as my powers where nearly exhaughsted, but his soul was back and it would be staying here.
Now is when Lariel spoke up again.
"You are truely a fool,my brother." He lamented, "To waste your self on some one who will die no matter what." He straitened and removed his hand.
The glow around Rhyns faded completely. Now Hyiru knelt over Rhyns, his hand folded together, his head resting on his chest. A soft sniffeling came from him and his body shook from the anguish.
Lariel came back to my arm, his fingers wrapping around my thin arm. He stared hungrily at the healed wound.
He frowned but shrugged it off.
"Fair is fair after all." He mumbled to himself, slightly disapointed to not get an snack before leaving.
"Lariel." I said sharply.
"He would have died this day regaurdless of whether or not I stepped in." He snapped, planting his fists on his hips.
"Thank you." I said softly, turning back to Hyiru and Rhyns.
He pouted at me then sighed resignedly.
He fell onto my back, his arms wrapping around my shoulders.
"Come back with me brother. I'm sure I can find you another, more worthy partner." He plead, purring in my ear.
"I... Like it here." I said gently, shrugging him off.
He retracted himself and shrugged again.
"As you wish." He breathed and stepped back, fading into the light.
"That man is a demon." Hyiru hissed, his eyes red and swollen. "As am I..." He added lowly, his words almost lost in the choking sob that relentlyessly washed over him.
"Hyiru, it is not your blame to take." I said, gathering him in my arms. "He is a finite after all..." I added, my own ears barely picking up the regreteful words.
"He is your finite." Hyiru pointed out, "and you had me watch over him and I failed you." He cried, covering his face with his thin hands.
I placed him off my lap but left my arm wrapped around him. I drew Rhyns into my chest, taking a firm hold on his lithe form.
Hyiru folded his hands together and leaned his forehead against Rhyns.
"I pray to thee you forgive thines errors and take thoust soul to heart and mind." He prayed to Rhyns, and stroked his now grimy hair.
"Let us go home." I said softly, pulling Hyiru up with me awkwardly as I held Rhyns to my chest. Hyiru stabilized himself and allowed my to fully draw up Rhyns.
"Yes... home..." His eyes betraying his looks and reflecting the eons in them.
How old he looked now! His face sunken and sallow, his thin body quivering in the chilled day, his eyes worn and dead looking.
Yes, he truely was old, ecspecially by our terms.
 Ray the Good Soldier · Mon Oct 15, 2007 @ 12:01am · 0 Comments |
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