Dawn awoke on a cool, hard surface. Harsh blue light flooded her senses, body suddenly on high alert upon realising that she was not somewhere she recognised. She moved to sit and quickly found that she couldn't; cold, rusty shackles chained her to the metal bed below her. Her vision swam as she desperately tried to shake them off, memories of being chained in a dungeon fighting their way to the front of her mind. No matter how much she tried, and how deceiving the old chains appeared, they held her firmly in place.
Thankfully, she could still turn her head. This, however, proved to be a curse rather than a blessing as she now had a view of her surroundings. Dismembered bodies lay motionless on identical tables next to hers, what was left of their faces were contorted in agony. Blood seeped to the floor, pooling at the bottom and staining everything it touched black and crimson. In place of shackles were intestines from each body, wrapped around whatever limbs were left attached to the corpse.
Quickly turning her face to the opposite side, Dawn hoped for a less morbid view. As though fate had heard her wishes and decided to punish her, the Venturer came face to face with the bodies of Freya and Rose. Both girls had been cut open from navel to throat, frozen expressions twisted in a silent shriek. Freya, nearest to Dawn, had her hand stretched out towards her, as though the Venturer had any capability of helping her when she couldn't even help herself. From the sight, it appeared as though her sisters had died while she was unconscious, and that thought tore her open from the inside out.
Dawn desperately wanted to scream, wanted to make any sound to relieve her from the excruciating pain, but she couldn't. She could do nothing except watch what was soon to be her fate, watch as a shadow stepped into the light.
"Hello, Dawn." The witch whispered, lips twisting into a chilling grin as she stepped closer to where the Venturer lay immobilised. "Hold still."
Panting, Dawn forced her eyes open, the nightmare still present and looming in the back of her mind. Sweat beaded on her brow as she caught her breath, desperately trying to soothe her racing heart.
"Bad dream?" A familiar voice brought her out of her delirium and Dawn's head snapped up, eyes struggling to focus on the Monstra sitting before her.
Syrena, who was now very much awake and alert, was sitting on the opposite side of the table, feet propped up and a journal in hand. Despite the topic of the pages between her slender fingers, she appeared quite relaxed and composed. New candles burned around them, the waxy remains of their predecessors already cleared away. By the looks of things, Syrena had been awake for a while.
The Venturer simply nodded, feeling as though her throat had closed entirely.
"Should I bother asking if you want to talk about it?" The Commander raised an eyebrow, hand stilling on the page as she glanced at the human girl.
"You sound as though you already know the answer to that question."
"I do, but I thought it would be polite to offer."
"Since when do you care about being polite with me?"
She shrugged. "I'm in a good mood so I thought I'd be civil."
"You're in a good mood?" Dawn's tone betrayed her disbelief. "Even with what you're reading?"
"We now have answers." Syrena waved the book she was holding before setting it down. "Speaking of, forgive me for my reading this without your permission, but I had to catch myself up with what you discovered." The Commander slid Dawn's notes across the table towards her, gaze steady. "Although, I admit that I am a bit lost as to why Alani's name is written."
Rubbing her temples to ease the tension, the Venturer took a breath to compose herself before she relayed what she had discovered a couple of hours prior. It took a lot of strength to remain calm, strength that Dawn did not know she possessed. What she wished she could do was storm directly to Kings Grave and hold the witch at knifepoint until she shared all of her secrets; only, the Venturer was miles and miles away from where she needed to be.
Syrena fell silent once she had finished, and her expression turned from relaxed to serious in a matter of seconds. "You're sure?"
"No, I'm not." She sighed, looking at the book she had seen before. "But I cannot shake the feeling that we have been betrayed. There is too much evidence, and now this." She waved a hand towards the offending tome before burying her face in the crook of her elbow. Oh how she wished she were someone else and not tasked with such colossal challenges. What was she going to do if the woman who had practically helped raise her and Freya was a traitor? There was still a small ray of hope that Dawn was wrong, that Alani truly meant no harm and that her help was not a double edged sword.
"I do not know much about the version of Alani that you know, and she had left Zyire by the time I arrived in the kingdom. However, I may know pieces of her that you do not." This was Syrena's attempt to lighten Dawn's burden. "Will that help?"
"That depends on what you know."
"Alani apparently met the king roughly twenty five years ago. She had snuck into the kingdom and he had caught her, though instead of apprehending her, he asked for a conversation instead. While shocked at his request, and that he would be civil towards a human, she complied. It was only a short while before the two were married, and Zyire made Alani his Queen. Every Monstra town, city, and kingdom were astounded at the fact that a human was now a ruler. Some accepted it, some did not. King Zyire was labelled both an experimenter and a madman, though those comments did not appear to faze him. He was truly in love."
"Did they have an argument? Any reason for Alani to turn against him and plot his demise?" Dawn asked, eyes seeking Syrena's. "If what you say is true then there must be a reason why she fled to Kings Grave."
"I do not know, the king does not speak ill of his wife, only glowing compliments." The Monstra sighed, looking past Dawn as though she was recalling many memories. "A part of me believes he still lives in the past with her by his side, though who can blame him?"
"That sounds like quite the tragedy."
"It isn't pleasant to watch."
"Alani has never mentioned him once. Though, she has never been the sentimental type." Dawn added with the knowledge she had of the witch, knowing a very different version of Alani then the one Monstra had grown accustomed to. "Having said that, she was very interested in hearing about my experience in the kingdom when I escaped from your wretched dungeons."
"She was?"
"Yes, she was also keen in my discretion and that I would not share with Garrett what I had seen." Scratching her neck, Dawn could not make heads nor tails of this puzzle. Could Alani truly be working against them when there was evidence of both betrayal and loyalty? Why would she send them on this quest if it weren't for uncovering a plot? Unless it was a distraction?
"If that's the case, then why plot against us?" Syrena used the word us as though they were on the same side, as though they weren't two opposing forces that had been momentarily united.
Dawn shook her head, the beginnings of a headache working its way into her skull. "I don't have the answer to that yet, though she does have a reputation of being far removed from her emotions."
"She is quite like you in that regard, then."
"Your comedic talents just get better and better."
"I was being serious."
"Then it is a battle of the heartless."
"You are not heartless, you just guard yours well."
Dawn glanced up to meet Syrena's gaze, looking at her from the gaps between her fingers. "If that is true for me, then the same could be said for Alani. The only thing left to discover is what she holds in her heart that she is wanting to protect."
"I suppose that won't be a simple task."
"No, quite impossible I'm afraid." Dawn laughed bitterly before exhaling. This was proving to be too much to handle at once. There were only so many impossible things the Venturer could achieve before she collapsed. "I need a distraction."
"What kind of distraction?"
"The kind that will clear my head." She looked up once more, feeling the familiar mischievous spark that came whenever she thought of a way to tease the girl before her. "Want to offer yourself?"
"Offer myself? How would..." Syrena's voice faded in her confusion as she mulled over Dawn's words. Her expression was utterly priceless once she reached the implication that the Venturer had meant. "Absolutely not!"
Dawn cackled heartily, doubling over as she watched Syrena's cheeks burn and expression twist into one of abashed horror. Yes, she would never get tired of that. Regaining composure, she sucked in a breath to steady herself, though Syrena's glare did nothing to help her calm down. "There, that was a perfect distraction."
"Was mocking me really the only solution?"
"Yes it was." Dawn argued, still smiling. "Everything else is much too dull, I'm afraid. Unless you truly would like to kiss again?"
The Commander shook her head, still peeved at the human's jest. "Do not laugh at my expense, I am not a toy for you to play with."
"Everyone is a toy, Syrena." Dawn sat back in her chair, bringing her foot up to rest on the edge of the old wooden table. "But you are an exception."
"What do you mean?"
Truthfully, Dawn did not know the meaning of her words. While she did see most people as things of little consequence to her, Syrena no longer fit in that category. Though she was much too preoccupied with the potential of Alani being a traitor to dwell on that fact. Nor did she wish to.
It was made clear that the Venturer was not going to respond when she held her head in her hand, observing the journals with deep found despair. How was she ever going to get to the bottom of this now that someone moderately close to her was involved? Not to mention that Alani was remarkably standoffish and never shared personal details. Within the span of a night, this plot they were stepping closer to uncovering now had grown into something hideously monstrous and the Venturer did not feel equipped to stand against someone as powerful as the witch. If Alani was working for their enemy, was leading their enemy, then Dawn did not know how she could fight against her and win.
"What do we do now?" Syrena spoke quietly after a moment, allowing Dawn time to think.
"Now, I think it's time to go home." She announced, wanting to get to the bottom of the mystery of the witch. "We have found what we came for, and I must gather what information I can by watching Alani."
"Very well, we shall return to the Eastern Territories." Syrena eagerly agreed to the plan, a look of relief washing over her. "I must say, I find myself looking forward to being on familiar soil again."
"At least your title of Commander will prove useful." Dawn chuckled, also happy to not be at the mercy of an unfamiliar Monstra ruler. "Take the books, they're too valuable to leave behind."
They made quick work of packing their belongings and clearing away all traces of their stay, and it did not take long for them to leave the underground room behind.
As they climbed the stairs and meandered through the rooms, Dawn couldn't help but stop at the decorative cabinet.
"Dawn." Syrena warned, shaking her head in disapproval. "Don't steal."
"Just one small thing, no one will even notice it's gone." She bargained, hand already opening the door and reaching for a glass trinket.
"If you are truly stuck for money, I could return your satchel to you."
"You still have it?"
The Commander nodded, watching in disapproval as the Venturer pocketed more than she claimed she would take. Dawn grinned, knowing that Syrena would not stop her out of guilt. Who was she to stop the human girl from providing for her family?
"Then yes, I'd like it back." The Venturer nodded, almost astonished that the Monstra was willing to return it. "I could retire from the Venturers for good."
"Is that what you want?"
"It's what I've always wanted. Being in my profession usually isn't for the love of the job." She sighed, closing the cabinet and noticing that it was significantly emptier than it had been a few moments prior. Whoops. "You'd have to be desperate to join the Venturers."
"I will return your satchel to you."
"Thank you."
It seemed as though heavy rain was a common weather occurrence in the Western Territories during autumn. As they opened the front door, they were greeted with the torrential downpour. Raindrops bounced off of the road, splashing against whatever surface they landed on.
Deciding they could not afford to delay any longer, Dawn raced upstairs and quickly gathered spare changes of clothes from a bedroom wardrobe before rushing back to rejoin Syrena at the door, her satchel heavier now. Admittedly, she had not paid too much attention to what she was grabbing, and she just hoped that it would be enough to keep them dry and warm.
Bearing the weight and gritting her teeth, Dawn stepped out into the furious weather and the Commander followed suit. The rain made quick work of drenching both girls, clothes and hair dripping wet and sticking uncomfortably to their bodies. Dawn's trousers and shirt chafed against her skin, and she knew that it was going to be a long day. Though this was nothing she hadn't dealt with before, so with her head held high, she ignored her discomfort and continued marching through what she thought was an empty city.
Just as they had reached the most central point of the ruins, voices could be heard over the sound of the rain; voices that were not their own.
Whipping around, Dawn and Syrena noticed that standing some feet away were Western Protectors in their gleaming armour. Raindrops splattered against the metal and the Venturer was vaguely jealous that she herself did not have waterproof clothing.
"Trespassers!" A voice cut through the rain, followed by more words that were muffled to her ears.
"Shit." Dawn cursed and, unable to believe their miserable luck, looked to Syrena for an explanation as to why she had not heard their arrival.
Reading her expression and the question in her eyes, the Commander simply pointed at the sky. "The rain."
"It's a human!" She managed to hear their aghast tones, once again the subject of focus. Syrena was practically invisible to the Protectors when a real and very much alive human was standing before them.
"What is a human doing here?"
"Some still live?"
Syrena moved to stand in front of Dawn, gripping her spear tightly as she prepared to fight. "Run, I'll hold them off."
Dawn shook her head, dissatisfied with that plan. Glancing at the road as she formulated her own idea, she turned to her Monstra companion, the edges of her lips curving upwards. "Come with me."
"What?"
"Come with me!" Dawn almost laughed as she grabbed Syrena's arm and pulled her in the opposite direction, feet splashing in the puddles on the road. She could hear the Protectors behind her give chase, shouting to each other to not let them escape. As if Dawn would allow herself and her ally to be captured!
They shot through the streets, twisting and turning in every direction they could to shake their pursuers. The Protectors were fast, there was no denying that fact, but it did not matter how quickly they could run as Dawn was significantly faster. With Syrena in tow, they breezed past buildings and down streets like a pair of renegades. Their feet pounded the ground, water splashing from where their steps made contact. Daring a glance behind her, she could spy that the Protectors had fallen quite a way behind.
Navigating through a few more streets, the girls ducked into a small alleyway. The buildings were close together and they had to squeeze together to be able to fit. Though her heart was racing and lungs begging for air, Dawn did not dare breathe. She could hear the Monstra shouting to one another, voices fading further and further into the distance as they failed to locate their would-be prisoners.
Maybe rain isn't such a burden, Dawn thought, grateful to it for masking their presence.
Neither girl had moved from their position for quite some time as they waited to ensure they would not be caught. Their bodies were pressed together, and Dawn could feel Syrena's body heat through her wet clothes. The Monstra in question was flush against the wall, almost pinned to it due to the human girl's haste in pulling them into the alleyway. Despite Syrena's heightened awareness of their predicament, Dawn failed to truly notice.
Finally allowing herself to catch her breath, the Venturer looked through the heavy rain for any sign of movement. "Do you think we lost them?"
"I think so, I cannot hear them anymore."
Exhaling, the Venturer looked up towards the sky, raindrops hitting her face and rolling down her cheeks as though they were cold tears. They would certainly need to find appropriate shelter for the night, lest they want another in the nude situation. That would certainly be the less preferable option, not to mention that she had grown tired of rocky surfaces and missed the comfort of bedding. The Venturer had had enough of caves and rocks to last a lifetime.
Dawn turned away from the sky, nose almost brushing Syrena from their close proximity. Eyes widening in realisation, memories of that night on the platform resurfaced in glaring detail; the disgust, the heat, the consuming need. Her heart began to race at the thought, blood simmering through her veins as she recalled the slide of lips against hers and how sinfully thrilling it had felt. Lips that were now mere inches away from her own.
There, she had found another distraction.
Syrena's steady gaze was locked on Dawn, observing her every movement as though she too was remembering the kiss. The Monstra's eyes had turned from their usual diamond shade to molten steel, pupils dilated as she shared the same thoughts as Dawn.
Fuck it, the Venturer thought as she pressed closer, leaning into the Commander's heat.
"I mentioned using you as a distraction, and while I was teasing at the time, I am not teasing you now." She spoke, voice low as her breathing grew deeper. "I will give you one chance to push me away. If you do then I will stop using you as a distraction."
"And if I don't?" Syrena answered, her breath hitching in apparent anticipation of what Dawn would do.
"Then I'll continue until I'm satisfied." She whispered, lips inches from her goal. Despite the freezing rain, Dawn felt as though her blood was on fire the closer she got to the girl before her. Everything was on fire, and she was burning; almost suffocating with her desire. The conflicting emotion battled with her disgust, only this time it was not directed at the Monstra, but at herself for wanting this despite their situation. Or perhaps it was because of their situation that she needed a release of some kind.
Closing her eyes, Dawn pressed her lips against Syrena's, almost gasping at the feeling of them. They were as soft as she remembered, and just as electrifying.
Unlike the first time she had kissed her, Syrena did not blink in shock. Instead, the Monstra responded, though it wasn't without reluctance.
Syrena raised a trembling hand, gearing up to shove Dawn away from her. It remained aloft in the air, hovering just above the girl's shoulder in her indecisiveness. A part of Syrena recognised that she did not want to be doing this, Dawn was human and both girls had no intention furthering their relationship to anything beyond civility. The other part of Syrena, the more predominant part, wanted to throw caution to the wind; something that was very unlike the Commander. Everything just felt too good. Dawn felt too good. Her heart hammered, her skin became prickly and hot, and every thought of hers was consumed by the girl before her. When Dawn parted her lips and their tongues met, she gave in. How the human girl had managed to entice her into abandoning her personal morals was quite impressive. Perhaps she had been corrupted by her, after all.
The hand that lingered in the air moved to Dawn's waist, pulling the girl in closer and turning them to press the Venturer's back against the wall. Dawn, while slightly surprised, did not complain at the new arrangements.
Satisfaction it is, she thought as she gripped the girl tighter, fingers pulling at her rain sodden shirt in her desperation.
Dawn could not think of a single reason why kissing Syrena felt as though she was standing on a precarious ledge, looking out at the world beyond and below her. It was dangerous, thrilling, and yet still felt as though she was soaring. She should hate this, she should be disgusted, she should pull away. Dawn should have never desired this in the first place, and yet she had not been able to stop thinking about that kiss on the platform since it had happened. The memory would sneak up on her, even haunting her dreams on occasion. Now that she had Syrena firmly in her grasp again, Dawn couldn't imagine not wanting such an addictive act of passion.
She could sense the moment when Syrena let go of rational thought in favour of carnal desire. The change was immediate and wild, fingers clawed at her waist, gripping her skin in a deliciously painful bite. The rain was all but forgotten to her as every sense was consumed by the Monstra. She could taste her in her mouth, on her tongue, igniting her very soul and burning it to cinders.
Dawn lifted her leg to wrap it around the Commander's waist, pulling her that bit closer. Syrena groaned into her mouth, the sound echoing in Dawn's ears and spurring her on. She needed to hear that sound again, that husky moan that had plagued a few of her dreams.
"More of that." She murmured in between kisses, not wanting to waste too much breath by talking needlessly. The thought of missing a single moment of this was almost unbearable.
"More of what?"
"Whatever you just did." Dawn was growing impatient with the lack of action, twining her arms around Syrena's neck to pull her back to her lips. "More."
Both of their bodies trembled as they consumed each other, though this time was quite different compared to the last time they had kissed. It was no longer filled with venom, viciousness, and anger; and Dawn no longer felt the gripping fear around Syrena like she once had. Instead, this kiss was desperate, and a way to release the tense frustration that had been building. There was no better distraction from immense pressure than flooding your senses with a more pleasurable sensation.
Dawn kissed Syrena with every ounce of strength she had, using the girl as an outlet for her frustration and her nagging feeling of helplessness, using her as a means to an end despite knowing she was anything but. She was completely overwhelmed by the girl, something she welcomed now that she no longer feared her.
Though there was an underlying tone to the kiss, something mingled in with the rawness and wildness of it. Why were they doing this? Surely there were other ways of releasing tension, so why had Dawn chosen to do something that had once revolted her simply by the thought of it? Despite wondering these questions, she knew the answer. She wanted this, she had wanted to kiss Syrena and had found the perfect excuse to do so.
Time was lost to her with each slide of Syrena's lips against her own and she didn't particularly care for the passing of it. Her thoughts were silent and she felt as though she could breathe again.
Much too soon for Dawn's liking, Syrena pulled away. Seemingly, she was the only one of the two to remember where they were. "We shouldn't have done that."
"Who's going to tell?" Dawn replied, unhooking herself and stepping away from the Monstra in favour of leaning against the brick wall, head tilted up to face the heavens. For once, she was thankful for the rain. The drops hit her burning skin, and her hot breath mingled with the cooler air. Closing her eyes, she was pleased to note that, just as she had suspected, kissing Syrena had proved to be an excellent distraction. Her mind was blissfully clear of the clutter and worry, all of her problems appearing manageable now that she wasn't overwhelmed.
"Well, then? Are you satisfied?" The Monstra asked in between breaths, voice thick and heavy.
"Quite." She responded, unmoving from her position as she wanted to enjoy every bit of peace and stability that she had managed to steal.
"Glad to hear it." Syrena grumbled, still in the process of regaining her breath.
There was an unspoken question that lingered between the two girls, and while neither of them asked it aloud, it still was a prevalent thought in their minds.
What are you doing to me?