chapter Eight
Mathieu awoke in the room with the bed again, sans pain. This was not the first time that he had seen this room recently, more specifically the ceiling. Taking a deep breath, he draped an arm over his eyes, fighting back the tears. They stung at his eyes, threatening to pour down his cheeks again. He didn’t have to wonder or think about what had happened. The woundless pain in his chest told him all that he needed to know. Avian was gone. His best friend of six years and now she was gone, all because he had turned away for a few moments. It was his fault, all his fault. Taking in a shaking breath, his bottom lip began to tremble. He couldn’t stop the tears any longer and they silently trekked down his face and onto the pillow. Avian flashed before his eyes, smiling at him. It felt as though she was snuggled up beside him like she did every night; but that would never happen again.
Guilt was threatening to choke him, to pull him into the abyss. He needed to say something, anything to stop the crushing feeling in his chest. It was beginning to feel as though his heart no longer beat. “A-Avian…I don’t know if you can hear me…” his tears were accompanied by heavy pants, “but I miss you. I miss you and I’m so sorry!” He was reduced to gut-wrenching sobs for a few minutes.”I-I didn’t ever listen to your favorite childhood story!” He continued to allow his emotional distress a way out until there was nothing left for him to cry out. Eventually, he curled up on his side, and he fell into a shallow sleep where dreams of Avian plagued him.
The dip of his bed was what awoke him, Kiev’s worried face coming into focus. Her blond hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. “Hey…how are you feeling?” She tucked a lock of his hair behind his ear.
He felt like he was going to be sick. Turning away from her, he curled up in a ball, wanting to be alone. Her touch made him even more aware that it wasn’t Avian, her warmth not the same. Kiev was a very nice woman, but now was not the time. He hadn’t, didn’t, want anyone around him since his best friend’s death. People kept coming in and none of them seemed to understand that he just wanted to mourn and not have to be bothered with their presences.
Kiev sighed and pulled the blanket up over him. She left without another word, closing the door behind her.
Still, more people came and went between his sleep cycles; time, however, became irrelevant to him. He now measured life by pain for others to watch and pain for him to suffer through alone. He wasn’t eating and he wasn’t really sleeping anymore either. Everything was a blur to him, an excruciating, painful blur. Being asleep and being away were becoming the same. Half the time, he didn’t know if people were in his temporary room or if he was imagining them.
Memories would often float to him at random, memories of time when he remembered Avian most vividly as she was. Sometimes, the memories were happy.
Avian smiled up at him, leaning against him while they sat in the garden. She had a book balanced on one knee but had stopped to braid a flower into his hair.
That had been just shortly after he started protecting her.
Sometime they were funny.
He and Avian had fallen asleep on the floor, a half eaten cake between them. He woke up to Narrie dumping an entire bowl of frozen water on them and chasing the pair for a quarter hour, screeching at them that she was going to murder them.
Painful.
Avian sat on the stairs, her face hidden in her hands. He kneeled in
front of her, trying to get her to talk to him. She finally looked up and revealed a black eye. Her father had hit her.
Peaceful.
Her birthday had come and he had taken her for a picnic. Tesla was rolling around with Nikola in the grass, playing. Both Shadowriders were huge, truly armored monsters for once and much taller than either he or Avian. Goslings had climbed a bank and come to sit by them, not two feet from their blanket. Avian had been fascinated.
Tears pricked his eyes as he remembered her smiles, the way they ranged from excited to sarcastic to playful. She was the one constant he’d had in his life. Always there.
Avian had been lying on her bed, sick. Mathieu bounded in with an armful of flowers and kissed her forehead before she pulled him down to snuggle with him. She was petting his hair and he put his head on her chest, where he heard her steady heartbeat. “Oh my gosh, you do have a heart!” “Shh! Don’t tell anyone.” She had said with a smile.
No matter what they did, they did it together.
The night had been cold, but she’d convinced him to climb onto the roof, and now they were lying there, staring at the stars. She pointed to various constellations, smiling as he named them for her.
The goals of one became the goals of both. Accomplishments were shared.
It was a day of triumph. Avian signed the bottom of her goal charter,
finally finishing her declaration. Pride welled up in his throat and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, “Congratulations.”He said before ruffling her hair.
A solid kick to his bed jarred him from his stupor of the past.
“Okay, this is enough of your crap.” It was Solomon. “You’ve been mopping around here for almost two weeks. We’re having Avian’s service tonight, with or without you. We already buried her, and have been waiting for you before we had a ceremony, but it seems you are too weak to pull yourself together. We aren’t waiting any longer. Come if you want.” With that, the blond man kicked the bed again. Solomon’s heavy boot landing with a solid thud before leaving, slamming the door behind him.
Mathieu lay there for a long while, staring at himself in the reflective wall. His eyes were a dull purple and his hair had an unkempt appearance. Two weeks… He closed his eyes. Avian…
There were a lot of things that she had said to over the years, but one thing in particular was ringing in his mind: “If something is within your ability to do it, it becomes your duty to accomplish it, otherwise, you’re worthless”. She had meant it in the sense of civic duty; however, he felt that the statement applied to this situation, too. He had sworn that he would protect her; he had failed at that, but he could at least be the one to put her memory to rest.
Nodding to the Avian in his mind, the only piece that he had left of her, he sat up and pressed his feet into the floor hard. The cold stone was reassuring to him as he left the safety and security of the nest he had built for himself. He looked along the hall and found it empty.
Swallowing hard, he went down the passage and up the stairs. The glass walls allowed him to look around without having to go far, spotting Kiev in a few rooms away. Luckily, she saw him the same moment that he saw her, so all he had to do was wait for her.
She weaved through a few sliding glass doors before she was standing in front of him, a kind smile on her face. “You’re up. Let’s get you into a shower, okay? We can talk after.” Kiev took his hand, patting it in a compassionate way. Then, she led him through the maze of immobile glass walls and sliding glass doors. The room she led him to hidden behind frosted glass, for privacy he assumed. The blonde woman pushed the door open and ushered him in.
Looking in the mirror, Mathieu finally got a clear look at what sort of state he was in; it wasn’t good. A brush was set on the counter, so he picked it up and dragged it through the tangles of his hair. It took some effort, but eventually his hair was back to its naturally smooth state, although it lacked quite a bit of shine.
It took two hours and three showers later for him to feel almost normal. His hair was back to its normal luster after being washed within an inch of its life, and his eyes were an unclouded purple again. It seemed as though the hot water washed away the worst of his guilt, helping him feel that he could make it through for a single day. Avian still clung to his mind, however, she was more like a pleasant memory than an accusing presence.
Looking around, he spotted a metal closet in the corner that he hadn’t seen before. Pulling it open, he snooped through it until he found something almost suitable: a baggy black shirt and jeans that were a bit too big for him. Fastening a belt around himself, he pulled the door open and found Kiev sitting there, leaned against the wall, dozing lightly.
Kiev was a slight female and it instinctively made him want to protect her, although it seemed she had something of the same feelings about him. As if sensing him there, her eyes slid open and a hand covered her mouth, hiding a yawn. “You look a lot better.”
“Thank you, Kiev…Is Nathan around?” Mathieu said, holding a hand out to help her out.
The blonde nodded. “He’s on the upper floor. I’ll take you there, yeah?”
The Tri-District Manor was something spectacular, now that he had a chance to look around. It was much larger than he had originally thought, more like a small inn that a home. The flooring for the lower level was a mixture of polished white wood and green marble set in a pattern that reminded Mathieu of a flower. The walls were thick, clear glass, with the exception of the bathrooms. He was somewhat relieved to see that they had managed to fix the front of the house from his little outburst.
There were plenty of bedrooms that they passed, each proudly displaying the contents of the owner to him. It seemed a bit odd to him that there was no measure of privacy within the house, but he guessed that they had their reasons. Mathieu also liked how many sitting rooms there were, each furnished in a different color. They had a variety of chairs, rugs, and small tables; some were made of plush materials, some nice solid woods. They had a variety of activities to do: play chess, read books, paint, and so on.
The upper floor was one giant room that seemed fit for all situations, a cot in one corner and something like a war table at its center; the table seemed to be of some sort of digital design. Nathan was sitting next to a bookcase, reading a book under a small wall mounted light. He looked up as they approached, taking a long sip from the bourbon next to him on a small end table. “Ah, Mathieu. Sit. Kiev, please excuse us.”
Kiev took the dismissal with a grain of salt, smiling cheerily at Nathan. “I’ll see you down there.” She took the stairs back down two at a time after a short wave.
Nathan waited for young lady to disappear down the stairs before fixing Mathieu with a look. The redhead’s jaw was stubbly and it made a soft scratching sound when the man ran his hand across his chin in a contemplative manner. “I see that you’ve joined our world again. We missed you on your temporary leave.” Nathan joked quietly.
Mathieu sat in a dark blue chair, tucking his feet under him. “I missed me, too. Listen, I need to know what happened. There are a few blanks that I need cleared up.” His face was set, every line serious. The man had been right; where he wanted to admit it or not, he had taken a vacation from reality, and now he needed to find his way back.
Nathan put his book aside and gave Mathieu his undivided attention. “I’m sure that you’re referencing the…demise of your Princess. I can and will assure you that he was not one of ours. Solomon had a…” the look that crossed the redhead’s face was purely evil, “talk with the man responsible and he volunteered some rather interesting information. He is…was an Unithian spy. It seems that there is much we didn’t know.” He sat back in his seat, running his thumb around the rim of his glass. “We are much more enlightened now.”
“Tell me what you know now.” Mathieu’s voice was small and weak, as broken as Avian’s had been in her last moments.
The redhead gave him a long look before setting his liquor aide and moving to the front of his seat; his hand came on Mathieu’s knee. “You may not like what you hear.” Nathan said honestly, looking at the young man.
“Doesn’t matter. I need to know, Nathan.” His gaze moved from where it had been fixed on the floor to meet grey eyes. Nathan’s face was not suited for such a serious expression with the laugh lines around his mouth and the freckles across his nose.
Sighing heavily, Nathan nodded and withdrew into his own space. “…It seems that the King of Unith had constructed a fairly elaborate plan to start a war with us. He sent a squad of his own soldiers after you and Avian. You were supposed to be killed in the ambush and she secured. He planned to claim that the Princess was taken as a hostage to start a way.” The redhead stopped, giving Mathieu a moment to take in what he had already been told. Nathan continued. “She was supposed to be somewhere in the backwoods of nowhere until after the fighting was settled. So, when the King’s spy saw Avian alive, he knew that he couldn’t let her reach home or the whole plan would have been pointless. Unfortunately, this man decided that killing Avian would be better than the wasted effort.”
Mathieu looked Nathan in the eyes, all the repressed anger he had held in check against the King for abusing Avian coming to a head at the realization that every pain he was feeling right now was because of that scum for a leader. Somehow though, it didn’t surprise him that the King was behind this. Over the years he had been there, he had watched the man and his daughter drift apart until things were no longer even casual between them. One thing now was for sure: If the King wanted a war, he was going to get one. “I’m going to destroy that man. I’m going to take everything he loves: his wife, his power, his throne, and I’m going to rip them away from him before I kill him.” There was something cold in his voice, a conviction not often heard.
“We were thinking something of the same thing.” Nathan said, holding out Avian’s glasses. “We want you to join us. You belong here and we’re working towards the same goal now.”
Mathieu took the thin black frames and turned them over in his hands. “So it seems we do.” It wasn’t even a hard decision for him. “However, we’re going to need help. I know of a few people that would benefit us greatly.”
Nathan stood and laid a hand on his shoulder. “We can discuss these things later. Today, we mourn a great tragedy.” The man left Mathieu sitting on the upper floor alone with his thoughts and Avian’s glasses.
~*~
Avian’s grave was set on the edge of the property, just inside of the wall. The headstone stood just under a tall, bushy tree covered in deep blue leaves that tittered softly in the breeze. A stray leave fluttered by.
“It’s an Emotion Tree.” Kiev walked down the hill beside Mathieu, speaking in a respectfully soft voice. She clad in a modest black dress, accompanied with a veil over her blonde hair. “It’s quite a rare treat. The leaves change colors to reflect different emotions.”
Mathieu looked up at the tree, the dark blue that signified sadness made him feel the tiniest bit better. He took a deep breath and looked down at the small rectangle of upturned ground, the headstone proudly proclaiming it as the final resting place for Avian. The wording was simple, Here lies Avian: a leader, a friend, and a force for change. “Is…is she in a nice coffin?” Mathieu asked, kneeling down and touching the dirt.
Kiev put a hand on his shoulder. “Yes. It took Lenore a full day to make it and she lined it was down and satin.” The blonde smiled, “Kind of a tribute to her being a Princess. She looked peaceful.”
“Who is Lenore?”
Kiev pointed to a petite brunette woman standing at the back of the group of people, looking out of place and nervous. “She’s our blacksmith.”
Mathieu nodded and looked away, back to Avian’s grave. “Oh, I see.” He stood and followed Kiev, approaching the small group under a black tent. The sky crackled ominously with thunder in the distance. He stepped in among a group of people he didn’t know. Some of the faces he recognized, like Solomon, Mina, Elise, Nathan, and the two girls, but the rest were strangers. They all were dressed in black, faces somber.
Nathan was the first to look up at the pair as they entered, and a sad smile touched his lips. “Mathieu. Kiev.” Kiev nodded and touched Mathieu’s shoulder before going and standing beside Solomon, immediately starting up a hushed conversation.
Elise beckoned Mathieu over, taking his hand in hers before squeezed it. “It’s good to see you again.” She tucked a strand of his hair back behind his ear. “We were thinking that maybe you should speak if you feel up to it. You knew her best.”
Mathieu swallowed hard and closed his eyes, nodding. He needed a moment to gather his thoughts, and to stop him from crying. It took a few minutes, but eventually his eyes opened again and he was ready. “O-okay…” Mathieu looked at the grass by his feet, using the toe of his borrowed shoe to itch his ankle.
“We should start now.” Nathan turned to the group at large. “Let’s sit.” On the order, everyone took their seats; they seemed to be predetermined. Mathieu moved passed the others and stood beside the grave. He touched the rose carved into the headstone with hesitant fingers.
Swallowing thickly, Mathieu leaned against the tall stone, turning to face the others. “This is rather hard to articulate. I suppose that…I should start with what kind of person she was…” His gaze swept over the group, seeing genuine sorrow in their eyes. “Avian was the kind of person that always did what was right. Rules were merely obstacles to be overcome if she could help someone by breaking them. But she was sweet and funny, one to be adored. She never let the bad keep her down for long.” His face tilted up towards the sky, a few drops of rain starting to fall. One landed on his cheek.
“There wasn’t a person that met her that didn’t come to appreciate her overpowering personality.” He continued. “It’s going to be hard to live without her by my side. She accepted me as I was and I will carry her memory with me.” Taking a deep breath, he cupped his hands and blew into them softly. Energy left his lungs, forming into a small flower held between his palms. Avian had always liked when he made her energy flowers. With steady hands, he let the bloom fall to land on the grave. “Rest well, Avian. I love you.”
One by one, the others came to join him. Some muttered a few words about the joy of having met her, some left small gifts. Nathan and Elise both commented about how well she would have ruled; Mina sang a song in a language he didn’t understand; Kiev said she had gotten along well with Avian; Solomon said that with time, the young woman could have become very dear to him. Mathieu just stood there silently.
After a long time, the group moved inside. Everyone sat around the large table Mathieu had been reunited with Avian at while Mina passing out tea. People that Mathieu didn’t know kept telling him that it would be okay; he didn’t feel like it would be. It wasn’t like before where the pain and guilt had been crushing, but it still hurt to think that she was gone. As tempting as it was to hole back up in his room, he wouldn’t let himself do that.
“Hey,” he turned to Kiev who was on his left, “who are these people?” He hopped that talking would help distract him.
She pointed around the room, naming people. There was Lenore, the blacksmith; Lucian, the newly appointed official liaison to Unith; Elric, a healer; and Darcia, a sword master. There were others, but he couldn’t keep them all straight, so he stopped trying. The sullenness of the room was beginning to suffocate Mathieu. He had said his goodbyes and now he was ready to move on. Move on, but never forget his best friend. Now, however, his mind had something more important to focus on: revenge.
Tesla and Nikola slunk into the room eventually, winding around his legs. Both of the Shadowriders ended up curled together in his lap, purring and trying to make him feel better; for once they stayed out of his head. Looking down at the two, he looked into Tesla’s eyes and stroked the reddish fur.
“…It’s time to move on,” Mathieu said, his voice soft. Everyone seemed to hear him, though. “Avian is gone and I will miss her, but it’s time to move on and show the bastard who started this just what kind of nest he kicked. I don’t really know any of you, so this may not mean much, but I won’t take this laying down.”
Nathan, who was directly across from him, smiled encouragingly, and Solomon nodded with his arms folded across his chest. “What do you plan to do?” Nathan asked.
Mathieu rubbed the space between his brows. “Well, I need a way to reach out to a few people that I know back in Unith.”
“Who?” Mina said, tilting her head.
Mathieu turned to her. “A woman named Narrie, she’s a user too, and Venee. Narrie should come to us, if possible, but I need to reach out to Venee, to see if she can help us. Her family heads the covert intelligence for the King. Her knowledge is useful. Oh, the man that taught Avian how to fence, too. Demetri Uliff.”
“This woman, Venee, she is ueful in what way?” It was Solomon who spoke this time, leaning forward in his seat and resting his arms on the table.
Mathieu bit back the growl in his throat. Everything about this guy, from the first time they had met to the way he had acted with Avian, pissed Mathieu off. “In the’ none-of-your-business’ kind of way.”
Solomon smirked and raised one eyebrow. “It is my business. Don’t get snitty with me because you couldn’t do your job.”
“You don’t know shit. Everything you say makes me want to punch you.” Mathieu said under his breath, not looking away from the blond.
“The feeling’s mutual, kid.” Solomon chuckled. Both men were on their feet now, leaning over the table, eyes locked in challenge. It was easier for Mathieu to hate the blond than examine the truth in the man’s words.
“Enough.” Nathan’s voice broke the tension between them. “Enough, you two. Mathieu, Solomon is the General of my army. Solomon, just…behave yourself. You two will learn to work together.” The redhead said.
Solomon made a noise of protest, eyes darkening slightly. “This is ridiculous. He can barely control his gift, he’s a child, and he doesn’t belong here. I save him and I dealt with his mopping, but I will not be forced to listen to him prattle on without knocking his block off.” The blond sat back in his chair, looking away. Nathan’s visage flashed with an indescribable look that had Solomon backtracking, literally and figuratively. “I mean, it’s just that he’s untrained, and he might be more of a hindrance than a help, I mean and uh…” Solomon’s green eyes were casting around for help.
Elise’s hand came to rest of Nathan’s forearm. “Shh Nathan, relax. Tempers are running extremely high tonight. Loss makes people irritable, so let’s all calm down; you, too, Solomon.” Many people around the room nodded and sighed.
“Where should I put Mathieu up, Nathan? We don’t exactly have any open rooms.” Kiev was looking out through the glass walls at the setting suns, “And I think that sleep might be best for everyone.”
Mina grinned devilishly and nudged Josette, who was sitting next to her. “I think that Mathieu should bunk with Solomon. Teach them to get along. Plus, it‘s one of the few rooms with an attached bath. They could share.” The glare that Solomon was aiming in his sister’s direction was one that could only be withstood by a twin.
Nathan laughed heartily and beamed at Mina. “That is a brilliant idea, Mina. Solomon, go make accommodations for Mathieu in your room.”
Emerald green eyes narrowed as Solomon stalked off towards one of the rooms Mathieu had passed earlier, everyone watching him through the glass walls as he slammed stuff around, making ’accommodations’ for Mathieu.
“Uh, Nathan…The clothes that I was wearing when…er…” Mathieu started, trying not to look at the very angry Solomon like everyone else was.
Nathan turned, giving Mathieu is undivided attention. “Ah, yes. Your clothes were ruined.”
“Oh…well then…”
Kiev held out the pocket watch Avian had given him so long ago. “Your clothes may be gone, but I saved this. It looked special.” She was smiling at him.
“Ah! Thank you…” He took it with shaking hands, rather shocked. Mathieu hadn’t even thought about the pocket watch, but if he had, he would have been sure it was lost for good.
The blonde lady nodded. “We’ll look into getting you some clothes tomorrow. Until then, you can continue to wear Solomon’s clothes.”
Looking down at the clothes he was currently wearing, Mathieu sighed. He should have known. They were slightly baggy on him, but they would have fit the blond man perfectly. “Thanks. I’m going to see about sleeping.” He kissed Kiev’s cheek for everything she had done for him. Swallowing hard, he looked across the house to where Solomon seemed to be in a temper. Somehow he knew this wasn’t going to end well. Without any more conversation, he weaved through the glass walls until he stood at the opening to Solomon’s room. “Hey…”
“What?” The blond growled, naked to the waist.
Mathieu looked around at the room. It wasn’t nearly as large as Avian’s had been, but it was large enough. The bed was set furthest from the door on a metal bed frame, raised a few inches on the ground and covered in dark colored sheets; the dresser was flanked by two different sets of cupboards, set opposite from the bed; the desk was clearly meant for only a single occupant; and the bathroom was tucked behind a frosted glass door. Taking a deep breath, he slowly entered the room, closing the door behind him before sitting on the edge of the bed. “Thanks…for the clothes, and sharing your room with me.”
Solomon kept his back to Mathieu, arms folded. “Whatever. Just take the bed. We’ll get another moved in tomorrow.” Pulling a few blankets out of a cabinet, Solomon laid them out on the floor and dropped onto them.
Mathieu turned his gaze to the bed he was sitting on, which was clearly big enough to fit three people comfortably on it. “Uh, we could just share? I don’t bite.” He felt kind of bad to be evicting the man from his own bed. At the moment, he wasn’t sure if he actually disliked Solomon, or if he was just looking for someone to be angry with so he didn’t have to hate himself.
Solomon turned his back to him, pulling a blanket over himself.
Furrowing his brow, Mathieu shrugged and hesitantly climbed onto the bed. He had offered and if the blond was going to be a jerk, then he wasn’t going to feel back. Curling up on the side of the bed closest to the glass wall, he had a clear view of the dual setting suns slipping below the trees in the distance. The sheets were surprisingly soft against his skin. He watched them until the sky was dark and was almost asleep on the firm bed when a shift of the mattress forced him to crack one eye open. Rolling over, he saw that Solomon was laying on the bed, back to Mathieu. He kind of smiled before snuggling into his pillow and fell asleep.
~*~
Morning came far too early for Mathieu’s taste and he rolled over, trying to block out the suns’ rays. It wasn’t much of an improvement, but at least the sun was no longer shining directly against his closed eyes. The warmth of the man just behind him was like a furnace, making Mathieu want to kick the blankets off, to seek out some much desired airflow.
The bed shifted behind him and he heard Solomon get up, padding into the bathroom. Cracking an eye open, he looked through the walls to see the others in various states of alertness. Some of the other rooms were doubled up too, he noticed, such as the room shared by Josette and Adele. Whoever had thought up the design of this house was either really smart, or really stupid. The glass took away privacy, but it instilled a sense of unity. Living in a house like this took away any chance of secrecy; Mathieu could even see that Nathan slept with his head at the foot of the bed.
As well as this house seemed to fit these close-knit people, it just made him feel awkward and exposed. He pulled the blanket back over himself and wrapped it tightly around him, using it as a shield while still being able to watch the others with a sense of mild interest. Kiev was a few walls away and she seemed to be having a silent fight with Mina over use of the bathroom. Mina finally conceded with hands up in a surrendering manner when the other blonde woman put a menacing hand against the wall, boxing Mina in.
He shook his head slightly as Solomon re-emerged and climbed back onto the bed, prodding Mathieu shoulder. “Up. Come on. Sun is up, so are we. You need to start your training today. I’ll whip you into shape, yet.” When he still didn’t get up, the blond man sighed and got off the bed, grabbed the edge firmly and pulled it hard, creating a crevice between the wall and the bed. A crevice that Mathieu fell into with a loud curse.
Solomon chuckled before he abandoned the room, leaving Mathieu to levee himself off the floor with a groan. Mumbling about blond jerks, Mathieu made his way into the surprisingly messy bathroom and ran fingers through his hair. The sun was blazing in, reflecting off the clouded glass in graceful arcs.
Huffing, he quickly brushed his hair with Solomon’s brush and splashed some water on his face. The cupboard with clothes was right behind him and he pulled it open, rummaging through the articles until he found something that would marginally fit. Ever so, the clothing draped off of him and made him look like a child playing dress-up. Blowing his bangs out of his face, he plucked at the shirt. Mathieu considered adjusting it with his energy, but he wasn’t sure if he even could; since Avian’s passing, he hadn’t tapped into it for fear or destroying the house again. He also wasn’t sure how much Solomon valued his clothing. Of course, after the way that Solomon had acted a few minutes ago, he didn’t particularly care how much the man liked his wardrobe.
Re-emerging with a now modified shirt that fit him much better, a few tears and a knot in the shirt later it fit quite nicely, he looked around the house. Through the walls, he spotted where everyone was congregated. He labored his way through the maze of glass walls and opening, weaving towards the others.
Nathan lifted his eyes in acknowledgement of Mathieu, motioning with his chin for the white-haired man to sit beside Kiev. “Good, let’s begin. Solomon, what’s the agenda for today?”
The blond was sitting beside his sister, looking out at the grounds. Solomon’s mind seemed to be elsewhere.
“Solomon.” Mina said, bumping him with her elbow.
The emerald green eyes of Solomon’s gaze snapped to Nathan, “Yes?”
“What is the schedule for today?” Nathan asked.
Solomon’s voice was dripping with sarcasm. “We’re going to be punching small children, Nathan. What do you think?”
The red-head rolled his eyes, but nodded in seeming understanding. Mathieu thought the blond man was just being a douche. “I expect things to be taken care of in my absence. I’ll return before sun down.” Nathan said, standing.
Solomon stood and looked at Mathieu. “Time to go.” He said, folding his arms. The others of the room were moving, too, going about their own business.
“Ehhh.” Grudgingly, Mathieu snagged a piece of toast from what could only be the remains of breakfast, then stood and followed Solomon out onto the back lawn. “Need time to eat…”
“You should have gotten up with the rest of us when I told you to. Sit.” The blond was in a no-nonsense kind of mood. “Since our leader, Nathan, has so kindly decided to dump you on me, it has become my responsibility to turn you into a decent fighter. I warn you, I don’t tolerate failures or screw-ups. You will succeed and become a first rate soldier. Your progress is reflected on me.”
Mathieu gave him a flat look, not having sat. While the man was speaking, he munched on his toast. He wasn’t a fan of being talked down to and Solomon seemed to be in a condescending mood. “Excuse me, but I happen to make an excellent fighter.”
Solomon’s head tilted back, adam’s apple bobbing with his laughter. “I’ve seen your ‘skills’. They’re marginal and unrefined. You couldn’t beat a properly educated six year old, even if you wanted to. You run on sheer emotions and your control leaves much to be desired. Now,” he ignored the scowl on Mathieu’s face, “you’ll need to master a weapon. You can’t always rely on your uncontrollable energy. In fact I would prefer you didn’t use your gift at all.”
“Seriously, my energy isn’t uncontrollable.” Mathieu said, arms folding in a protective way over his chest.
“I don’t really care. You will learn to master a weapon.” Solomon said flatly.
Rolling his eyes, he wrinkled his nose at the blond. “And how do you plan to determine what kind of weapon I should use if I’m unwilling to try them?”
Solomon took a calming breath. “I’m not as stupid as you seem to believe. I’ve trained a person or two before and I know how to select the right weaponry for a person. Most of it is obvious and most people are trained with basic swordplay. I doubt you’re dexterous enough for archery, more of a chick thing.” At this point he was more talking to himself than Mathieu. “Although with the way he looks…”
Growling, he shot a spark of energy towards the man, catching him in the cheek. It was the first time he used his gift and the sensation of it made him ache with longing; he truly missed feeling in harmony with his energy.
Solomon’s eyes narrowed, staring down the other. “What the hell was that?” The blond rubbed his cheek idly.
“I know I look like a girl okay, let’s not bring that up. I can change it about as much as you can change being a jackass.” He crossed his arms and huffed, looking down the slight hill to the tree below which Avian rested. She had always seemingly overlooked his feminineness, aside from dressing him like a girl.
Sighing, the blond took a deep breath and dug the toe of his boot into the ground. “You’re a real pain, you know that? I don’t doubt that you’re stronger than you look, because frankly, you don’t look like much. All I want to do is give you something to back up that cocky little attitude of yours so Nathan will get off my back. Quit trying to fight with me; I will win. I’ve been doing this a lot longer and I have no remorse. It’s that simple. Now, I think that a sword would be a good fit for you.” Solomon put one of his hands firmly on his hip. “Darcia will eventually help train you.”
“Darcia is…”
“The guy with the long bang and brooding disposition. Looks kind of like a shark.”
“Oh! That guy.” Mathieu recalled the aristocratic face and mouthful of sharp teeth.
Solomon nodded. “He’s our sword master.”
“Then why aren’t I training with him to start with?”
“What’s your problem with me, anyway?” The taller man asked, raising an eyebrow. “I’ve never done crap to you. I saved you from death, I fed you and tended your wounds while you healed from your gunshot wounds, I took care of you while you mopped over Avian, and now I’m sharing my room with you. You’re the most ungrateful, undeserving boy I’ve ever met. You’re a child in a man’s body and you don’t know how to graciously accept help.”
Mathieu looked at the grass between his feet, thoroughly scolded. He had thought that Kiev had been the one to take care of him, but it seemed that wasn’t true. Against his better judgment, he supposed he could try to be a little nicer to Solomon. “I’m sorry…”
“It’s fine. I want to bring down Unith as much as you do, and fighting within our own ranks isn’t doing us any favors.”
“Solomon…”
“Hm?” the blond met his gaze, an eyebrow raised.
Mathieu hesitated a moment. “Um…thanks.”
The man nodded. “It it fine. Today you will meet some of the more important people and we’ll go from there.”
“That sounds…exhilarating.”
“It’s not, but you need to be able to recognize everyone, their significance, and how they can help you in the long run if you’re going to fit in here and become a part of our family.” Solomon sat and gave Mathieu a quick glance.
Mathieu sat as well with a sigh and turned his head, meeting the man’s gaze steadily. “I want to belong here, you know. You’re people are like me….or maybe I’m like you…”
“You’re like some of us. Others of us, not so much. But collectively we want you to be here with us. We’re surprisingly accepting…” The blond shrugged.
“Surprisingly.” Mathieu agreed. “How do you guys get along so well? I mean you guys are all so different.”
Solomon smirked at him. “We all need each other is why; even you and I. I need your desire for revenge to fuel Nathan, and I will be very critical to you. Elise says so, anyway.”
“Elise says so?” He said slowly, almost disbelieving.
“Yep, she’s a seer.”
“Er…?”
The blond sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Seriously? Eight year olds know more than you. A seer is someone who can glance into the future. They can’t control what they see, how far forward they view, or what the significance of it is, but what they see always comes to be.”
“Wow. It must be hard to live like that. Randomly getting visions I mean.” Mathieu said. He wondered if he had been a seer and seen Avian’s death or that he would someday be sitting here, how he would have reacted.
“It doesn’t work like that. Well I guess for some seers it might; however, Elise must touch a person to see into their future. She saw you come to us when she met you six years ago. And she saw…well I don’t know exactly what she saw. She won’t tell me.”
“What about Mina?” Mathieu said, looking at the sky.
Solomon gave him a flat look, clearly not wanting to talk about his sister. “What about her?”
Mathieu huffed. “I mean, I know that she has a gift, but what is it?”
“Ah, that. It’s her voice. She can sound beautiful, but she can also turn it into a harpy’s screech. Good for causing paralysis.”
Closing his eyes, he laid back in the grass. “You have a god on your side.”
“Not me personally, but Korinth does.” Solomon replied.
“We do?”
Solomon picked up a rock and threw it, watching it soar through the air. “Yeah. It’s attached to some kid, I guess.”
“You guess?”
“Well…I’ve been around a long time. A long time. I’ve never seen a child manage to summon one and decently anchor it.” The blond shrugged and raked fingers through his hair. “You should see the kid. He’s the only one that the god will talk to. Hell, I haven’t even seen this so call god.” The tone of his voice was annoyed, just shy of irritated.
“Everyone here has a lot of power…”
“You do too, probably. Alright we need to start your training. Come on.” The blond got to his feet and held out a hand, pulling Mathieu to his feet.
“Ugh. Thanks.” Mathieu said, attempting to pull his hand back once he was on his feet.
Solomon kept a tight hold on his hand. “Try not to panic.”