Eternally Bound: Part 5
----- Inculpation -----
The calm was invigorating and Demitra could see why Paige enjoyed her mornings. The morning breeze found its way from the waters below, creating a slight chill before the morning sun would decide to make its presence known. While quite large, the Dejarin estate seemed a bit too crowded for Demitra's comforts. This was exacerbated by the activities as the servants, cleaning of maids, drake handlers tending to the animals, and others in the grape fields, all busily performing their morning duties, long before most awoke. Thus, Demitra found herself seeking solitude, and had found a vantage point at the topmost of the estate, where others could not reach her.
"You always did like high places," Ember's past statement echoed in the woman's head. Indeed, Demitra did seem to have an affinity for more lofty vistas. It was here she could relax, not worry of others bumping into her electrifying skin, not worry of her powers flaring up uncontrollably, putting others in danger; here she could be herself.
She sat cross-legged upon the very edge of the roof, closed her eyes and began to levitate. Two additional arms smoked into existence, her wardrobe vanished, and the woman's entire body changed to that of a purple and azure sparkling nebulae, surrounded by electrical pulses of fuchsia. "Djinniness," Ember had called it. Demitra smiled at her lover's astuteness. She couldn't imagine going through this change without her.
And at once, her thoughts returned to her love's eternal sadness at the loss of the hatchling… One which may have died by the Djinn's very own ineptitude. It had been a week since the death of the hatchling; a week of difficult mourning and a funeral to provide closure. None, however, had seemed to come to Ember. She had remained mostly in the drake nests along the beachfront, emerging only to train her troops. The few times in which she had sought out Demitra was only to make love, an act which seemed to allow the woman to feel something other than sadness. But it was fleeting. She would return to the beachfront, again slipping back into the melancholy place she remained. Demitra longed to comfort Ember with more than just pleasures of the flesh… but, she found herself feeling isolated, pushed away by the woman, and try as she might to tell Ember her theory about what happened to the drake, the words escaped Demitra. To fill in, Paige's own words echoed in her mind about procrastination, and while she knew what she needed to do, Demitra feared it would make Ember withdraw more from her and quite possibly be the end of their relationship.
She tilted her head back, releasing a breath of frost. The air around her crackled with violet electricity, and a light snowfall encircled the floating Djinn. She wrapped all four arms around herself, brought her head to her knees and began to cry softly.
Demitra looked up, wiped away glittery tears. "Ahai, Paige," Demitra's tone was soft and delicate. She stood, stepped off the balcony. Electrical arcs sprouted from the woman's back, forming a wing-shaped pattern of fluid motion as the lightning danced around her. She descended slowly and gracefully, landing a few feet from Paige with a bit of a weary smile. "Perhaps you shall not be gliding champion this year, Lady Paige Dejarin," she joked.
Paige giggled. "I would hardly call that fair, Demitra of the Djinn."
"I am glad to see you, Paige," Demitra's additional arms had evaporated upon landing, her clothes faded into being, and her skin resumed is previous caramel color with eyes of emeralds and lips of ruby beaming a smirk at Paige. Her hair was no longer white, which had begun to fade since the previous incident. It shone now as a brilliant brunette.
Paige's own skin changed color now, flush with red cheeks at the sight of the woman. In every way, Demitra was wondrously breathtaking. "I… I am very glad to see you as well," she said, her voice slightly higher than usual.
Demitra felt a flood of lustfully powered feelings crash onto her like a wave. She suddenly took in a deep breath, bit her bottom lip and tried not to moan from the intensity.
"Are you… Are you alright, Demitra?" Paige reached to comfort her friend, concern replacing and pushing away her previous thoughts.
After a moment, the feelings dulled themselves and with Paige helping, Demitra was able to stand upright. She stared and blinked at the woman. "Paige… Did you… Do you have… Have you been thinking…"
Paige took a step back, covered her mouth. She had forgotten about Demitra's empathic abilities, and she was completely embarrassed.
Reading the woman's reaction Demitra relaxed her face and smiled knowingly at her. "What I meant was if you have been thinking about… the research?"
"I… Y-yes, I have, actually," Paige stammered, happy for the subject change. "There's a lot to sift through, but yes, I do have a few thoughts and theories; primarily on the nature of the vault and the magic we each witnessed from it. I believe…"
Paige paused as Ember meandered onto the balcony. Her hair had a few twigs in it, her clothes were dirty and suit-covered, and her smell was of the drakes she had been sleeping with. She pulled up a chair and plopped down onto it, bodily slouching and hanging off it.
"Love! You came up! How… How are you?" Demitra took Ember's hand into her own, and squeezed. A small amount of steam came from the interaction and the Elonian slightly giggled, elated Ember had reappeared.
"Yes, Ember, are you… well?" Paige was careful; the woman had obviously been trying to cope and had been neglecting herself in the process.
Ember simply shrugged. "I'll… I'll be okay."
Paige stared at Demitra's vivid eyes of emerald a moment longer than she meant to, then shook herself from them, clearing her throat. "I… Have been researching, and I've had… Well, some interesting facts have turned up. (But, oh Kormir's veil where do I even begin?)" She tapped her chin a moment, glanced at the sunrise. "I sent an excavation team back to the ruins after my encounter there, and discovered the entrance, the ruins, the doors… none of it was there afterwards. But, that's where I got this," she tapped the torch base affixed to her belt. "That's when I thought, maybe if this torch came from there, it can be used to find the place it came from."
Demitra released Ember's hand to stop the sizzling sounds it was making and adjusted her sleeves so the extent of the frost, which had traveled past her elbows, was hidden. "It is a sound theory, Lady Paige Dejarin. What ritual or spell would be performed on it?"
"I think it's a similar ritual to what I did when I summoned you, Demitra. I believe I did so because of this torch; I believe it to be tied to the Djinn in some way!" Paige was bursting with excitement at hearing her findings said aloud. "So, if my theory holds, then I may be able to do the ritual, but with your presence, it should be amplified - like a supercharged locator spell, and since the torch is drawn to the Djinn, or from the Djinn (or whatever), I think it'll show us where the vault is… or materialize it!"
Demitra lightly laughed at the woman's excitement; Paige glowed when she was working a problem, and her poofy hair literally bounced as she bobbed her head back and forth with the explanation. Her wide-eyed optimism was refreshing and Demitra was drawn in, delighted at her flamboyant presentation. "Marvelous, Lady Paige Dejarin; it is not unreasonable, and I believe it may actually give the results we desire!"
Ember shrugged.
Paige came to Ember, knelt in front of her chair, to look straight at her friend. "Ember… I know that things are bad, but… finding this vault and understanding how everything's tied to it… I think that's important. Something's happening to Demitra, and she's… well she's my friend, and we've just got to help her. And I need you here, with us Ember; just as much as Demitra needs you!" The woman tried to assert herself without coming off as overbearing or unsympathetic.
"My baby needed me too," Ember mumbled.
She placed her hand over Ember's. "I know… and I'm very, very sorry. Snapper needed me as well, and I failed him. You have been there for Scarra; let us be there for you. And we, both Demitra and I, need you on this trip, with us."
"What can I even do?" Ember said in monotone.
"You'll do what you always do, and what we both love you for." Paige brought Ember's hand to Demitra's, making them clasp together. She stood, took a deep breath, trying to be matter-of-factly about the state of affairs. "I've discovered nothing conclusive yet about… the incident. But, I've asked father's old contacts in the Lion Guard to have mages compare the samples we found… in the…"
"Body?" Ember said coldly.
Paige wrung her hands. "Uh… Yes. We should have the results soon; as soon as I know something, be it morning, noon, or night, I will report to you, Ember."
Demitra swallowed the lump in her throat. Her skin almost seemed to pulsate with each heartbeat. "M-my love?"
Ember looked at Demitra. Something was off about her tone; something that said in unspoken words the seriousness and gravity of what she was about to say shouldn't be ignored.
"I must confess something."
Paige took the opportunity to excuse herself, walking over to the table and unraveling a scroll across it. She began talking aloud, perhaps to the couple if they still listened… or, more likely, so that she could ignore their intimate conversation. The woman felt as though enough privacy had been invaded… "Since it has the feel of Djinn magic, and there's lots of Elonian sand for me to work with… I should just need the torch, Demi (and her gifts, I think)… Maybe focused through me… Oh how exciting!"
"What is it?" Ember said, growing concerned.
Demitra took in a breath, held both hands, and knelt down to Ember, looking up with sorrowful eyes. "I… I have something to… I have something to confess. I… I am so sorry. I think… I think that my magic may have caused… your… drake's…" The woman's voice fell flat. She couldn't continue.
Ember's looked visibly pale, her body was as frigid as Demitra's bracers and her eyes seemed to dim at the news. She sat like an unblinking immobile statue.
Paige had been speaking to Ari, who had arrived with a field report, but one look to Ember's tear-filled eyes immediately drew her away. "N-Not now Ari," she said, dismissing the soldier. She began to approach the couple.
"But, Lady Paige… this may have relevance it's about the dra-" Ari was cut off.
"Ari, please, dear… read the room. This is a delicate matter…" She said, brushing her soldier off. It was uncharacteristic, but her heart took over.
Ariadne simply nodded, "Yes, milady."
"Love… I cannot express to you how heart wrenching such a thing… Ember? I… I did not know… I… Can you ever forgive my faults?" Demitra implored.
Ember said softly, "You… You killed my baby?"
Paige stepped forward. "Ember! We don't know that! I refuse to accept that she did it! It goes against everything I have seen from her!"
Paige swiped down with her hand. "Erratic or not, I would see you throwing yourself into a sand-shark's maw before hurting one of Ember's children! So don't pretend that your dangerous. Not when we don't know all the facts!" Paige spoke with an authority even she was surprised at.
"I…" Demitra blinked.
"And Ember, look inside your heart! Do you think for a moment that even on an accident, Demitra would harm one of your children and not know it? This… This whole thing…" Paige threw her arms in the air in frustration. "It just stinks; like a set-up."
Ari cleared her throat. She wasn't entirely used to doing it, but taking Paige's advice to heart, the woman spoke softly and cautiously. "Lady Paige, I believe this report may show exactly that."
Paige raised an eyebrow, then went to receive the report.
Demitra stayed with Ember, carefully reaching up to take the woman's hand, who hadn't said a word, and worried she would pull away. "Please Ember… I… I am so very sorry!"
Ember sat motionless.
"This… This report… Has it been confirmed by artificers? We need to make sure they match." Paige was speaking in low tone to Ari, who was nodding. "Then if this isn't the mirrored glass Demitra's magic created." The woman's hazel eyes grew wide. "Someone set her up? Who… Who would try to frame Demitra? I mean who even knew she was here? The support staff… those on the beach at the coronation…" Paige was absently pacing.
"Your orders, Lady Paige?" Ari stood at attention, but glanced to her distraught captain.
"Well, there's a lot of people that may want a piece of House Dejarin (Kormir knows I've been visited in my bedroom by skulkers twice now!), so there are a lot of opportunities for gathering intel about our guest. The real question is why," Paige tapped her chin a few times. "Ari, I have a special assignment for you. You are one of my best hunters, and Six has a stake in this too, if my hunch is correct. I need you to find someone who can stalk the shadows. They will find us; just start spreading rumors. Hopefully with a bit of luck, we can use their services to gather a bit of intel on just who could be behind this." She cleared her throat, "And you can start the next time you are in the tavern with your comrades," Paige said, in a scolding voice.
Ari, normally steadfast and immobile, blushed.
Demitra may have felt the embarrassment had she not been so focused on Ember. Her eyes were glistening with silver sparkling tears of a sorrowful Djinn. "Ember? L-love… I… I wish for us to be okay."
"We're fine," Ember said dryly.
"No I mean… Ember Drakenfist," Demitra knelt at the woman's feet. "I wish us to be wed."
Ember sat, staring at her lover; the question somewhat lost on her. Paige had picked up the question, immediately freezing. Ari refrained from speaking even though she wanted to and bit her bottom lip slightly at the scene. A hush came over the women, each waiting with baited breath, until finally, Paige couldn't stand it.
"Oh Ember! This is a perfectly romantic moment! It's even autumn with the changing leaves and…" She covered her mouth with the realization she was interrupting.
Demitra faltered a moment, uneasy and hesitant. "I… I thought this is what we wanted? I… thought this was traditionally required when such a question was asked. Have I… done it wrong?" Her cheeks flushed.
Ember's gaze was past the moment; her mind past the balcony, through the sand on the beachfront, and into the drake's nest with Scarra. "I… I… can't."
"Really Ember?" Paige was furious at her surrogate sister. "She's asking you to be her wife!"
Demitra's right eye slightly flickered, as both came filled with tears. "You… You no longer want me?"
"I just… I do love you, but… I don't… I don't know what happened, down there."
Paige fumed. "This report shows that the mirrored glass that Demitra conjured was not what was used on the hatchling, Ember! She…. She's been set up (for some reason!), and she was not responsible! Ember, look into your heart!"
Demitra covered her mouth. "You… You fear me," she said, feeling Ember's emotions.
Ember shifted in her chair. "I… I don't fear you. I just… I need to know what happened down there." She looked over to Paige. "I'll… take a look at the report. I just… Demitra just said that she may have been responsible… I can't… I just can't right now."
The Elonian woman let go of Ember's hand. She stood, wiped her cheeks, took a few steps to the balcony overlook. She leaned against the railing, her ice hands freezing it, cascading across the entire railing. She pulled her hands away, staring at the almost completely white and blue ice crystals that were once her fingers. Her right eye fluctuated from emerald to sapphire.
Lady Paige took a step closer to Ember, noted Demitra's freezing of the railing. "She needs you, Ember. Something's happening to her, and you just broke her heart. Djinn or not, she's still the same woman you fell in love with."
"Is she?" Ember mumbled, observing the scene.
Paige could have slapped the woman (and almost did so). "I don't know who did this yet, but I will find out; I swear it. Ari's going to find a shadow contact and we're going to get to the bottom of this."
Demitra turned around to stare at the women with one blue and one green eyes. "It… It appears to be… getting worse," she said with a icy breath.
"Then we'll need to do the ritual soon! Gather your belongings; Ari, you'll be needed too. We must leave for the ruins immediately!" Paige was already rolling her scrolls up.
"Lady Paige Dejarin? Where… Where are we to travel to? I may have misunderstood such dialect, but I believe you explained the entrance was not where you thought it would be…"
Paige shoved the scrolls into her pack. "We shall travel to the last place where the magical essence of the vault was known to be. It will increase our chances of using the torch to figure out its whereabouts. I was the last to exit the vault, before it vanished, at the ruins of my family's land, in…"
"Elona," Demitra gasped. "It seems my destiny is always tied to this place."
"You sure about this?" Ember rubbed the back of her neck, trying to skirt past the awkwardness of Demitra's proposal rejection. "I almost died the last time I was there, you know. Maybe I should stay put…"
Demitra gracefully came to Ember's side. "Ember? I would very much wish for you to come. I… I would welcome you… in spite of what has transpired."
"I… Okay… If it will help," Ember looked at Demitra's saw the dried glitter from her tears on her cheeks, then saw the two separate colored eyes. The blue familiarity of it caught the woman by surprise, and she took in a deep breath at the thought. "Yeah… We should… we should probably get going then."
Demitra could feel the conflicts raging in her lover. She decided to stay back for a few moments as Paige and Ember and Ari retreated into the manor. She looked at the railing, then at the smoke created by the mist of the cold gauntlets. Through the fog, she could almost see a figure.
[To Be Continued...]
