Seeing your best friend almost die wasn't fun. Merari did not recommend it.
The moment she heard someone shout Arcane's name, Merari raced through the ballroom, scarily close to tripping on her dress. She fell to her knees and screamed for help. The high-pitched cries that her body produced sounded foreign and she felt possessed. The small pool of blood below Arcane's head was nothing compared to the darkness spreading through the fabric of her green dress.
Everything happened too slowly. Merari wanted to blame and accuse people, but the Chèr was doing enough of that. She was glad. Arcane deserved justice.
In the end, the victim was lifted onto a stretcher and brought away. Merari held her hand the whole way. Her skin was so pale; she looked like a ghost. An icy fist closed itself around Merari's heart, as she choked back the tears.
'If you die, you're a wimp,' she croaked.
Sabrina had grabbed Arcane's other hand to her surprise. The Rindea looked like she might as well have been stabbed too. Merari wanted to tell her to get away and leave them alone. It was strange, how love could make you so paranoid. Sabrina was the softest soul and the best company for the dying girl. No, Arcane wasn't dying. She couldn't die.
They laid her down in her bed. Somebody must have run ahead and called the doctors that were already waiting in the room. They struggled to remove the bloodstained material from the wound. Merari shuddered at the horror on their face.
'Right in the kidney...' a doctor realised.
'Sabrina.'
Merari hadn't registered that the Chèr had followed them. In confusion, she looked at the determined Rindea that pushed the doctors aside.
'What are you doing?' shrieked one of them.
Sabrina ignored them and stuck her hand right on the wound. As her skin went even paler, Merari realised that Sabrina must have been trying to heal Merari this whole time. The wound emitted a green glow and created the illusion of green veins growing out of it. Sabrina's eyes grew empty, then she swayed and stepped back.
'I can't do anymore for her.' Sabrina brushed away the tears in her eyes with her other hand. 'But she will live.'
'But... Magic like that is forbidden,' stated one of the doctors.
'In this case, it's a blessing from the spirits. The Voire conferred with the Leere and we found her powers to be a gift from the spirits.'
'But... A power like that always has a price. You cannot escape death without a consequence.'
'I'm sorry,' sobbed Sabrina.
'Sabrina, get some rest,' the Chèr told her. He rubbed her back gently, while a cold fire burnt in his eyes. Then he turned to the doctor, 'Would you prefer death?'
That got them to shut up. Merari kept squeezing Arcane's hands. The hectic initial shock had made room for sorrow. Her eyes turned to waterfalls, her throat was parched. She didn't know what sort of price they were talking about, nor did she care. All she could think about was the fact that Arcane had almost died.
Every now and again, a doctor would request she let go for a moment, but as soon as the doctor had finished, Merari was clutching her best friend again. She found herself praying to Sorita, even though she doubted the spirit could do much. Why wasn't there a spirit for health and well-being?
The doctors did all they could for the time being, then left. Arcane didn't look much better than when she'd been brought in, the main difference was that her wounds were hidden by bandages and she'd been changed into a clean and softer nightgown. A strip of gauze was wrapped around her head for where it had hit the ground. Merari found herself smoothing a curl in the fabric.
The door creaked open behind her and Emilee came in. She exchanged a few words with the Chèr, then left. Merari was glad. Arcane wouldn't have wanted everybody to see her like that.
'I know you probably won't want to leave, but a few people are in the sitting room. From what I understand, they're making a prayer candle cake. I just thought you'd like to know that they're there if you need a break and... So that you know others care.'
Prayer candle cakes were a custom for when someone was on the brink of death. They could take many forms, but the main criteria was large surface area. The first had been giant cake shaped candles, though nowadays they were often comprised of multiple candles. People would write their prayers for the victim and stick them on the candle cake. Some people burned them and claimed that when it burnt, the sufferer would be freed from their suffering-either by recovery or death. Others kept it and gifted it to the person once they'd recovered.
Merari didn't leave, she wouldn't until Arcane had made a turn for the better. To her surprise, the Chèr stayed firmly rooted in a corner too. Then again, with all their puppy-like stolen glances, it was clear that he and Arcane were pining. If anything became of it, Merari would have to make it clear to the Chèr that if he ever hurt Arcane, he'd have to deal with her.
A few hours before dawn, Medea entered with two cups of tea. 'I thought-'
'Is this your idea of "ensuring the best path"?' hissed the Chèr. 'Is this part of your divine ploy?'
Medea placed the saucers on a cabinet with a clink. 'I did not know that she was going to get hurt. Gadeden didn't tell me.'
Merari kept her eyes glued to Arcane, but queried, 'Why wouldn't she?'
'Because she did it,' muttered the Chèr. 'Tell me, Medea, is your head feeling better?'
'My head never hurt.' There was an odd sharpness to her tone.
'Really? Then why did you take so long?' he probed.
'I was giving you the space you need.'
'How considerate of you,' said the Chèr. Merari couldn't understand quite what was going on between the two of them. Maybe she'd been wrong and the Chèr had some sort of messed up relationship with Medea.
'You two should get some sleep. She'll only wake up around two,' said Medea.
'I'm not sleeping until I know she's alright,' Merari stated.
'Then at least have some tea.' Medea offered them both the cups.
The Chèr took one sniff of it, then glanced over to Merari. 'Come on, let's put a prayer on the candle cake.'
Merari sighed and decided to follow him. If, no, when Arcane got the candle cake, she'd be offended if there wasn't a note from her. Besides, it wouldn't take long.
As the two of them walked past Medea, she grabbed the Chèr's arm. 'Don't do anything rash.'
'What am I supposed to do?' he sharply responded.
Merari raised an eyebrow at Medea, who shook her head dismissively. It seemed that if Merari wanted clarification on what she'd just witnessed, she'd have to find it on her own.
♤ ♤ ♤
Over the next couple of days, Merari felt like a living corpse. She produced more tears than she thought were physically possible, usually when she was alone in her chamber. Once or twice, they came out when she was with Arcane. That left her feeling worse still. Arcane needed reassurance. She didn't yet know.
As Sabrina recovered from the exhaustion of having kept Arcane alive, she explained what the doctor had meant. Lypera was a land of balance, when a power was gifted, it demanded something in return. Arcane should have died, so her body could not fully recover. To heal her kidneys, another part of her body would face severe long-term damage and Sabrina wouldn't be able to heal it. Only time would show how this had manifested.
Another mystery that became clearer was the headache that the Chèr had mentioned. Medea confined herself to her darkened room and only left to fetch painkillers or request assistance from a Leere. Merari managed to visit her briefly and actually exchange a few words before the Voire insisted that her migraine was too bad.
'The spirits managed to change the entire timeline. Because they now need me to exercise damage control and help get things onto the particular outcome they want, Gadeden is now sharing pretty much the entire course of the next few months with me.'
'That... Sucks?' Merari wasn't sure whether knowing the future was handy or not.
'It means that all the steps I took until now to ensure the path I was chasing are now causing problems because they wanted their fucking way and I don't know what to say or do because every plan I have starts another chain reaction. Until now I've had years to plan, but now I'm meant to figure out what to tell you now on a whim. Oh, damn it, there comes the new timeline.' Her face twisted in agony. 'Urgh, I'm going to risk it. Talk around a bit. That sounds like a good plan.'
That felt like Sorita all over again. Why did people think they could order her around? Merari realised that if she was going to talk to anybody, it should be her family. The attack had shown the truth of Goece's warnings. Although this attacker most likely had nothing to do with the murderer, it hammered home quite how easily they could be hurt.
Ever since she'd revealed her divine role, Merari had steered clear of her family. She struggled to guess how they would have taken to it. Would they judge her? Would they envy her? Or would they rejoice for her?
Merari knocked the door four times. It was a lucky number, four. Perhaps it would facilitate this first discussion.
Luella opened the door. A huge grin broke out on her face. 'Merari!' Her arms swung round her sister.
'I thought you'd gone home to the estate.'
'Mama called us all back for the ball. Everett and I are going back when there's definite news on Arcane. Speaking of which... How is she?' Luella's right hand slid down Merari's arm and curled itself around her hand.
Merari's throat went dry. 'She's, um... She'll live.'
'That's wonderful!' Luella exclaimed. 'Truly spectacular.'
'Could I, uh, actually come in?'
Luella grinned at stepped aside. Everett was sat on a sofa with a newspaper in hand, yet he was watching his sisters rather than reading it. Anise was curled up in a corner with a book.
'Why are precisely the three of you that aren't meant to be here here?' pointed out Merari.
Anise snapped her book closed. 'Trust me, I'd rather be abroad, but some Vrail students hid illegal goods in my room at the college, so I'm now suspended for the foreseeable future. Thieves, all of them.'
'Sheesh, I'm sorry.' The more she heard about Avi, the more she found herself supporting the idea of war.
'Well, I owe you some gratitude. Lord Merton is actually letting me into his oh‐so-sacred library.' Anise had been pestering her for years. 'Mother says I should take it as a sign.'
'Mmm, yeah, about her... How's she taken it?'
Anise stood up and headed over to the door of their parents room. 'Merari's here.'
Merari sucked in a deep breath when the door creaked open. Eula Minka stepped out, embroidery still in hand.
'Merari... How is Arcane?'
'She'll live, Mother!' chirped Luella.
Eula's nod was slow and tired. 'And you, Merari? Are you faring well?'
Merari opened her mouth to confirm it, but when she did, all her emotions hit her like a wave slamming into a cliff. Only, unlike a cliff, which remained standing proud and strong, Merari eroded. The tears rose in her eyes and her hand had to hold onto the sofa to support her.
Eula took her daughter in her arms, mumbling stiff words of comfort. Her body was more practiced than her mouth, gently rubbing Merari's back. Merari was glad for the hug. As strict as Eula could be, she was still Merari's mother. Their bond was strong and irreplaceable.
'I'm sorry I didn't... I should have warned you.'
'You were sworn to secrecy by a spirit,' responded Eula. 'You don't need to apologise.'
'Though... I pretended to be giving suitors a chance when I knew... I lied to you,' Merari confessed, staring at her hands.
'Merari... That doesn't matter that much. In fact, with what Kirima's been saying, I'd rather you didn't.'
'Kirima? You mean Kirima Northwick?' Merari checked.
'We're engaged,' Everett calmly mentioned.
'Oh, uh, nice,' responded Merari. 'Does that mean I'll have to come to Lady Northwick's awful tea parties now?'
'It's only fair. I've been to five of them recently,' Anise sniffed.
'They're lovely! I don't know what you two have against them,' said Luella.
Merari rolled her eyes. 'So, uh, what's Kirima been saying?'
'She says Eseterrians can't trust anyone. I mean, Lavia's dress says it all,' said Everett.
'I think it was a romantic gesture,' swooned Luella.
'From someone else, maybe. But Kirima says Lavia's always wanted to be an Eseterrian.'
'Doesn't everyone?' Luella defended her. 'I sure wouldn't mind it.'
'Yes but... Back in the past, she never knew anything about religion. Now that Ellux's girl is involved, she's supposedly repeatedly broken into religious libraries for research purposes. It just sounds... Fishy.'
'Will miracles never cease? Everett is starting to gossip just as much as Merari,' Anise groaned. 'And I thought you were sensible.'
'It's political knowledge, not gossip. Of course you wouldn't know that, even though you pretend to be so smart,' Everett retorted.
Merari ignored their squabbling. This could be a stretch but Merari had the impression this might be the first decent lead she'd ever had. If Lavia had wanted to be an Eseterrian so bad, maybe she would have turned to some unorthodox methods. Of course, this could just be wild assumptions and one couldn't make such accusations based on gossip alone. However, Medea had encouraged her to talk to people, so maybe this was finally the progress they needed.
♤ ♤ ♤
'Lavia, huh? Can't say I'm surprised,' said Arcane. She sipped at the water Merari held for her. 'Urgh, this sucks. I'd do it all myself, but my body's quitting on me. My legs feel like bricks.'
'That's what ballet does. It creates the muscle to weigh them down.'
'Yeah, yeah,' muttered Arcane. 'I might talk to the doctors, see if they can give me any advice. Maybe they've just fallen asleep through lack of use and a few exercises would do the trick.'
Merari noticed the book on the table, specifically the piece of folded paper peeping out from between the pages. 'What's that?'
'And I Will Fall. It's a foreign book the Chèr said reminded him of me about a girl who struggles to understand mortality. It's basically a book about somebody travelling the world and meeting a load of people who die and facing a load of sexist people until... Well, I don't know yet, but I'm assuming she's going to have some tragic backstory,' Arcane speculated.
'And... I'm assuming the letter was from the Chèr too?'
'... Yes.'
Merari lifted a hand to her heart. 'I guess it's time I had a little talk with him.'
Arcane went a bit paler. 'Please don't scare him off completely. Or... Maybe do. I don't know.'
Merari raised an eyebrow. 'You okay there?'
'I just... I've never had anything like this. The idea of somebody liking me... It makes me feel fuzzy and scared. I mean, what if he expects me to be, like... A nice and decent person?'
'Okay, first of all, that's Arcane slander and I will not stand for it. Second of all, you were an ass to him for most of the first month, if he developed a crush on you anyway, he must have some kind of degradation kink, so I wouldn't worry. Thirdly, you deserve love, but if you're uncomfortable with it, don't get involved.'
'Well... We talked things out actually. We're going to take things slow and all so...'
'I'll start working on my talk then. "Mr. Chèr, I hear you have expressed romantic-gross-interest towards my-"' And I Will Fall hit Merari on the head. 'Alright, alright. But let him know that if he ever upsets you, I will beat him up.'
'Merari, your arms are fleshy twigs.'
'I will spread word about his degradation kink. Now, do you happen to know anybody who might know Lavia? Or know what she was doing on the day of the festival?'
'I don't believe we have any mutuals, but what about somebody who sees practically everything? Like, those tea spinsters?'
It hit Merari like lightning. 'Thank you, Arcane, you're a genius.'
She dashed out, hitching her skirts up so as not to trip. She almost bumped into some guards but managed to swerve in time. She'd never headed to the room from this part of the palace, so she wasn't a hundred percent sure of her way. Nevertheless, she continued sprinting to avoid the guards following her. If she was about to go the wrong way, she didn't want them witnessing it, although she felt rather exposed without them. Arcane's injury made her look at everyone with new, wary eyes.
The strong smell of turpentine mixed with liquor and perfume gave Merari the certainty to knock on the dark door. When nobody told her to enter, Merari nervously opened the door. When she saw a nude model, she pulled it closed. That was definitely the right room.
It took a few minutes before Codrus stepped outside. He lifted a finger to his lips and pulled her a few paces away from her room.
'I told her I couldn't turn down a potential client. So, what do you want?'
'Was that the countess you didn't want to paint?'
Codrus sighed. 'Yes. She was offended by my lack of blushing and admiration while painting her. People need to stop pretending nude paintings give artists any joy, we're just crying over anatomy.'
'I'm not even an artist and I do that everyday,' Merari melodramatically proclaimed, then asked, 'I was wondering whether anybody commissioned you on the day of the Festival of A Thousand Hearts.'
'Oh, that was awful. All day people strolled up to me all like "Not painting, Codrus? Well, could you do me?" It sucked.'
'But... Did you have any clients?' she checked.
'Oh, plenty. So many I couldn't do any on the actual day. I spent the day exploring the different areas and watching the people who were milling about so that I could recreate the ambiance later and all the commissioners were done in the studio.'
'So, if you were watching all day, did you see anything suspicious?'
'Nothing comes to mind, but I can show you a couple of the paintings. One changed his mind afterwards and somebody else got called insensitive in light of the Eseterrians' deaths.'
He disappeared into the room. Merari sniggered at his nervous chatter with his client from the outside. The countess was a lot to handle.
Since he didn't need the paintings back immediately, Merari carried them into her room. She wasn't really expecting any great reveal from them, but she had to follow any lead she could get. She lay them out in front of her and couldn't help but marvel. Whenever she spoke to Codrus, she forgot what a gifted artisan he was.
The first painting was of a woman surrounded by winter roses. Merari smiled fondly. She remembered how they'd completely covered one wall in them. By the end of the day, most of them had managed to find their way into various people's hair.
The second one showed a man shaking hands with Goece's former Eseterrian. It was purely an ego piece, intended to inflate his importance. Ciella blushed and sunk her gaze at his presence, while the gentleman kept a stiff upper lip. If you looked closely, you could see Rhea mocking him. Merari loved Codrus for adding that.
However, something else caught her eye in the crowd. Just to the right of the man's shoulder, Medea and the Chèr were stood. While that in itself didn't strike her as odd, Medea's expression was what threw her off. Her eyes were darting sideways and she wore a frown. All the while, her fists were clenched in resolution.
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A/N: New cover, ayyy. I don't think it's that great but I can't stand the old one so... Yeah. Also, I've finished work and am actually ahead with writing for once. As in I've already written the next chapter, but I'm leaving time between them so that I can maybe do the last ones in one go and just in case I get writer's block or am busy.