The Night Rider

Chapter 41- Mirrors

No one dared to move for several minutes. 

The quiet sound of a sylph sobbing was all they heard as the group remained collapsed on the ground in stark silence. Mantis was clutching her partner tightly, mothering her like he had never seen before. The coil of flame that had seemed like a leash at first was like a physical manifestation of their bond as it faded to allow Mantis to soothe her. 

Hazard was clambering out of a caved in section of wall, Gizmo was clamped tightly in his jaws, wriggling and swearing at the unperturbed Firestep wolf. Surprisingly enough, Hawkins was grateful to see their unruly prisoner was unharmed but as much as he wanted to greet them properly he couldn't move.

His leg throbbed in pain, his chest heaving as his hands were stinging with blisters but he was alive. The reminder of how callously the Overtaken had swallowed Thea sent his stomach lurching, his overuse of his Trait and his added injuries making his head spin.Trying to steady his breathing, he numbly held the black grimoire close and attempted to process what had just happened. 

Somehow, after all his efforts he had not only managed to use his Fire Trait but the Overtaken had fled away from him even though it could’ve killed them all. It was like they were scared of him...no, they were scared of the black grimoire. 

Memoriam, Odi had called it. The strange grimoire's ability to conjure and recall memories daunted the Overtaken who didn't want to remember the trauma and would rather forget it all. Hawkins had seen their face, broken by grief like he had been before he had experienced so much to help him heal Mantis. 

But Cricket seemed different than her supposed siblings, she had lapses in memory and only ever clinged to the sole purpose of finding the black grimoire, saving Rin and punishing those who harmed her. It was like she was scared of forgetting.

"We need to find Odi. We need to find out what happened to Cricket before she became part of the Swarm." He addressed the group, directing his worries mostly towards the struggling Tinker Mole.

Gizmo was unceremoniously plopped on the ground by Hazard who proceeded to flop down next to him, exhausted but remained diligent to monitor the shady businessman. Aware of the sudden creation of a discussion circle, Mantis reluctantly stood up and gently carried Thea towards the group in her cupped hands. 

No doubt she overheard the new problem to resolve and found a spot next to him, surprising everyone but no one said a word. Hawkins gave her a half smile, noting how she had chosen her seat based on a lesser of two evils. Obviously she hated Gizmo more than him so it was a nice change but he didn’t have the heart to ask her Lariat to heal them, deciding to suffer silently a little longer.

"How're we supposed to do that? Just walk up and ask her?" Mantis asked, visibly cranky but still upholding her usual dry nature.

Normally that would irritate him but Hawkins knew her tactics by now and allowed her to vent her anxieties before dissecting her issues and working through them with the group. After everyone had settled down of course. A Lariat wasn't so evil when completed out of necessity. Just like an Oathed and an Agar the bond was still just as important.

"Worth a shot. At least it's better than being chased by her attempt at a family reunion. There's not even cake." Hazard complained, grinning wickedly as his tail thumped happily against the ground.

A light giggle caught Hawkins attention, spotting Thea cuddling up to her partner still covered in a strange mix of gooey mud and rocks. Half wishing they had a Water Traited in their group to help clean her up a bit, Hawkins gave her a smile anyways, grateful to hear her slightly back to normal.