Sky finds Xander in a room, sitting on the floor, chatting with a boy with blond hair and yellowish-green eyes. So that's Eric. Both boys notice her at the same time and Eric stands up, rubbing a hand through his hair sheepishly. He grins at her.
"Hi, you must be Skylar, Xan's mother. I'm Eric," he says, almost timid. He walks closer to her and extends a hand. She looks at him for a long moment before taking a step forward and hugging him.
The boy is startled for a second, but hugs her back quickly before she pulls away. He glances at her awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head again.
"Thank you," Sky says, "for everything you've done for Xander."
Eric nods. "It was really my pleasure," he says with a grin. "Though the little guy didn't need my help."
Xander rolls his eyes. "I'm not little," he protests.
Sky walks over to him and kneels next to him, patting his head. "Yes you are."
He glares at her as Eric laughs.
"I'm going to go see if I can get someone started on dinner," Eric says and leaves the room.
Sky brushes a hand through Xander's hair and he looks up at her warily.
"They told you, didn't they?"
She nods. "Why didn't you?"
He frowns. "Because I thought it would be better coming from Dad... he should at least explain the situation to you."
"There is nothing to explain, Xander. He's a grown man and gets to make his own decisions. He owes me no explanation." She shrugs.
Xander shakes his head. "I disagree."
"That is your right," Sky says.
He frowns at her again. "You really should learn to notice when you're upset."
"I'm not upset."
"Sure. And I'm actually a little girl," he replies dryly.
Sky sighs. Why is he reminding her so much of Feng?
"I'm secretly his son but you forgot to tell everyone?" Xander answers her thought. She glares at him. Oh that's new, someone actually reading her thoughts.
How much has he seen?
She blinks at Xander. No. Please no. He's only a child... he should not have had to see all of her memories.
"Relax," Xan says, nudging her with his shoulder. "I can only hear the thoughts in the forefront of your mind."
She doesn't believe him. He just grins at her, acting cheerful and as if nothing is amiss.
She sighs, and pretends to believe him. She can think about the repercussions of Xan's abilities later.
"How did I get here?" She asks him.
"I'm sworn to secrecy," he tells her wryly.
"Feng brought me?" She arches a brow.
"Yip."
"How?"
"He appeared in a wreath of purple flames, cradling you to his chest..." he says with a shrug. "I think he likes you."
She tilts her head at Xander. None of his words feel false. But how is that possible? Feng's abilities aren't supposed to work with the shackles on. And how does he control fire? She thought he was a siren of some sort... and apparently a dragon too, if Thorn is to be believed.
She doesn't know what to make of Xander's comment about Feng liking her, so she decides to ponder it later.
Her head is spinning. There are just too many other questions floating around in her mind. Things that she doesn't think even Xander would be able to answer for her, despite how much the boy seems to know.
Like, if Feng knew exactly who she was from the very beginning, since the first time he looked at her through the bars of his cell.
His sister is living here in this mansion with Xander.
Did he know where to find her son all this time? And if he did, why did it take him so long to bring her to him? What was his agenda?
How is it that she's still feeling all these conflicting emotions about him? She doesn't trust him, yet she wants him around... yet she feels comfortable around him.
She felt safe in his arms.
But there is so little about him she knows. He even told her himself that he's a liar. What is she supposed to do with that?
And the song? The picture? What does it all mean?
And why isn't he here, after telling her two nights ago that he wasn't going to leave...?
Why does she care so much that he isn't here?
Xander slips his hand over hers and leans his head against her shoulder. She smiles softly down at him, and lifts her arm to pull him into a hug instead. At least she has Xander. At least he's alive. At least he's okay.
At least he's able to smile.
"Aww, so touching," a voice says, the tone mocking in its sincerity, pulling Sky out of her thoughts instantly, sending all her instincts into high alert. Everything in her completely freezes over as her eyes lift to the doorway.
No. No, no, no, no. No.
Anyone else.
She could've handled anyone else.
Her arm tightens around Xander and she wishes she had the power to make him disappear to get him away.
But she can't keep him safe. Not from this. She can't even keep herself safe here.
She needs to get away.
The panic that's been kept at bay over the last two weeks rises to the surface with a vengeance, taking over everything she is completely. She can't move. She can't react. The only thing she is capable of doing is staring.
Staring and wishing she could get Xander away.
His eyes are as icy as she remembers, just a shade darker than her own. His hair curly and rich. His body tall and strong.
He's exactly the way she remembers him, only something more.
And alive.
Fear. She feels fear.
And disbelief.
This isn't real.
He's dead.
She would know, she killed him herself.
How is he alive? It can't be. This can't be real.
She felt the life drain out of him.
She felt his blood flow over her hands.
"Hello, darling, miss me?" Akai says, walking toward them.
Sky wants to shrink away, but can't move. She wants to run, but is sitting there paralyzed by shock and fear and panic.
Akai's grin is wild and wicked, filled with dark promise.
He bends down.
Xander's eyes glow.
Akai grabs Sky's shoulder.
Then Xander's.
The boy tries to struggle, but doesn't succeed.
And they disappear.
*****
The first thing that becomes apparent is that it's been far too long since Feng has fought an actual fistfight without his Reaction Field. He rarely used it in the centuries before Tenir betrayed him, resulting in Aiylah's death, but since... since Feng never fights without it unless he's sparring with Den or LeiLei.
Or Sin.
The point being that Feng, shackled and unable to use his abilities, isn't quite fast enough to block Cruciatus' first punch to his jaw.
Feng crashes through the wall and skids across the ground. He releases Yevi2, knowing the blades will follow him. They do.
He sits up, spits a couple teeth out of his mouth, and rolls out of the way of Cruciatus' next punch. Even if Feng could access his powers, Cruciatus would still be a little stronger than he is. If Feng could shift to his dragon form--or his elfin form, not that he would do that anyway--it would all be over, but this human form is the weakest of the four he can use, and in it, he's not quite strong enough to kill Cruciatus with his abilities.
He can't even access his abilities though, so it doesn't matter. Feng's skill with his fists easily rivals his skill with his abilities.
He'll just have to kill the godling the old fashioned way.
That's fine by Feng. Feng likes using his fists.
Cruciatus tries to send his boot into Feng's side, but Feng catches his leg and throws the godling back into Joshua's cell. He's on his feet and following a second later, noting absently that the seraph is just watching with an amused grin.
Cruciatus meets Feng near the hole in the wall, fist already flying. Feng blocks one punch but misses the other, and it snaps his head around. The godling takes the opportunity to kick at Feng's knee, trying to pop it out of its socket.
Feng drops to the ground and kicks his uninjured leg out, sweeping Cruciatus' feet from under him.
And then they're rolling on the ground, fists flying. Cruciatus intersperses his punches and kicks with waves of pain that are supposed to debilitate Feng but only make his grin widen. The godling manages to get an arm around Feng's neck, choking him.
Feng starts laughing.
He forgot what this feels like, fighting for real. He can't die, so it never matters to him what the outcome of a fight is.
He's never really invested in it.
But before he became a god, oh Feng loved to fight. He'd pick a fight with anyone, anywhere, just for the fun and the blood and the thrill of it. Just to walk on the edge.
It's been a great many years since then, but the feeling is as sharp and glittering and exhilarating as it was back then.
He jabs his elbow into Cruciatus' sternum, wrapping his leg around one of the godling's at the same moment in order to unbalance him. Feng also sends a silent command to Yevi2, and the useful little blades dart at Cruciatus' arm like angry wasps. The chokehold disappears as the godling rolls to avoid the blades, obviously knowing what they are and the damage they can do to him.
Feng rolls to his feet and snaps the heel of his hand at the godling's face in the same movement, smirking as Cruciatus curses Alistair under his breath. Feng's blow is blocked but it was a diversion anyway, and while the godling is pushing Feng's arm away he's being toppled by Feng's knee in his gut.
And they're on the ground again.
Feng uses Yevi2 like little angry sheepdogs, herding Cruciatus wherever Feng wants him.
But the godling is still stronger than Feng.
And Feng takes as good as he gets. The pain might not bother him, but there's only so much his Echo jacket can keep up with at once without Feng's power augmenting its own, and the injuries are slowing him down.
It's breathtaking, the thought that Feng could lose.
Like a crisp mountain breeze that tangles in his hair and sends a chill down his spine, the breath of the world, his heartbeat quickening.
Blood and gore and sweat drip from both gods as they tussle on the ground.
Feng is still laughing. He knows it's a sound very similar to the one Joshua made earlier--though perhaps Feng's laugh holds a bit more freedom, a bit more mirth, a bit more wildness.
A bit more reckless abandon.
He's still laughing when Cruciatus succeeds in getting a narrow garrote around Feng's neck and starts strangling him, cutting off the sound.
He god is merciless, wedging Feng between the wall and his knee, making it impossible for Feng to twist away.
Feng really doesn't want to go back to the Echo having been killed for the third time in less than a week. Goran will laugh. And anyway, coming back will be no fun. He wants to defeat Cruciatus on the first try.
That desire doesn't stop the encroaching blackness.