Moonlark Turned Evil

29: Beads

Yes, I'm earlier than I thought.

Hehe.

FUN FACT before I let you read:

Fayn's name was originally going to be Kairal. I first designed him during a long car ride, thinking it would be nice if Sophie had some kind of rival she was fighting. It would have actually stayed as Kairal if I didn't accidentally forget where I wrote it down, and then decide to change the name because I forgot what it was.

So yeah, that's the story behind Fayn.

A light breeze rustled through the courtyard, gently shaking the branches of the trees.

A small fountain trickled quietly, the water flowing out to a small stream that ended in a pond.

The courtyard was of medium size, a rock garden spreading out in the middle with stepping stones in a neat line through it. The trees were still bereft of leaves, as spring was yet to come.

Sitting on a wooden platform at the edge of the garden was a woman.

She was slender and tall, with long flowing white hair and sharp gold eyes. Her ears were pointed, her complexion somewhere in between pale white and olive brown. She wore a red kimono, delicate white and gold patterns stitched across it. Her obi was plain white, scattered with blue and purple designs.

In her hands, she held a light green tea cup, splashed with the pattern of a single bamboo tree in black paint.

Taking a delicate sip, she placed it in front of her.

Marked on her right shoulder and hidden from view by her kimono was a strange symbol. It was a chess piece—a pawn—in a diagonal. Angled from the other side was a sword. In the center of both was a pen.

The message was simple: conquer the world with sacrifices, blood, and words.

Ilith fully intended to.

Eternalia, the elvin capital, was just the first stepping stone. Just like the pathway in her garden, it was only a way to move onwards to her goal.

The next thing she needed to do was move one piece here and another one there . . .

And Atlantis would be hers.

Linh Song hummed happily as she strode through the streets of Atlantis.

She held a bag—containing a notebook and a thick novel on military strategy—in her right hand, adjusting her grip every few steps.

Six years in Exillium had taught her an amazing amount of self control.

Even here in an underwater city, the voice of the water was barely a whisper in the back of her mind.

Out of habit, she chose the dark alleys.

She wasn't scared.

Linh was only scared of her nightmares.

Because they weren't just dreams—they were her memories, twisted and jumbled and intertwined so thickly she couldn't understand what was happening. All she knew was fear.

And the taste of ash, somewhere in her throat.

Linh stopped walking, glancing around her.

"Where am I?" she asked.

She had been too caught up in her thoughts to remember the route she took here.

Checking for her Imparter, she realized she had left it at Elwin's.

She let out a soft sigh, trying to stay calm.

The water was suddenly louder.

It hit her like a tidal wave, making her realize how claustrophobic it was down here.

Clay beads hit the cobblestones behind her, and she whirled around, her hand going up for the Exillium necklace that was no longer there—snapped in two and thrown into the ocean.

Click click click.

She hated those beads.

They gave her one every day she was there, to mark how much time had passed. Sometimes even that wasn't enough.

The days blended together, just the darkened expressions and the silent Waywards and the difficult lessons that came one after another like waves on a beach.

Linh, she heard the water whisper.

The clicking grew louder.

LINH.

"Calm," she choked out, not sure whether she was speaking to herself or the ocean. "Please, calm."

She was on her knees now, buried waist deep in a sea of clay beads.

All she could see was black.

Somewhere in the distance, she heard her brother scream.

Her hands felt sticky and warm. When she looked, she found her fingers stained red.

"I never wanted twins."

It was her father's voice, just as clear as it had been when she'd first heard him tell her that.

The beads were up to her neck now. Tears streaked down her cheeks and dropped onto them.

Click click click click click.

Linh gasped for air.

The water was a voice tempting her to give in.

Her breaths were short and sharp.

"No," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Help. Please."

Who was she even speaking to?

"Linh?"

The haze in her mind weakened slightly.

The voice was familiar somehow. Not her mother's, and most certainly not her father's. Not her brother's quiet, deep voice.  It was bright, higher-pitched than anything Tam would ever manage.

A pair of silvery blue eyes, filled with tears, opened.

Linh looked up, taking her hands from her face.

A blonde haired girl stood in front of her, tiny braids and feathers scattered through her hair. She wore a casual red t-shirt cropped a little bit short, and black pants. The outfit had no doubt caused whispers and stares on the streets of Atlantis, but she didn't seem to care.

"M-Marella?" Linh asked.

Her vision cleared.

The beads were gone.

The water receded.

All that was left when the tide went out was a bag on the ground, a girl on her knees, and Marella Redek, who was bending down to pull Linh into a soft hug.

"I'm here."

She didn't ask what was wrong.

Didn't ask if Linh had gone insane.

Didn't say it would be alright.

It was just, 'I'm here'.

And those two words were everything Linh needed right now.