The North (Closed)

[KieranSoares]

As the dragons landed, a stranger dismounted with Costa, a white band on his arm marking him as a medic. The entire group was dower and quiet until Sam came riding in and quickly slid from his saddle. "Where is she?" He immediately demanded, his eyes drawn to Schaller first as the great dragon lowered his hands to the ground, revealing an unconscious Owen wrapped in blankets. Sam's blood froze, realizing his wife wasn't there at all.

"She traded herself for him," Ezra explained quietly as he stepped up. "The doctor will see him settled and go back with Costa and Dani. And Blair has brought a new guest as well."

Sam didn't seem to process much of what was said, staring into nothing, his face gone pale. Silently, he made his way over and gently scooped the broken Fox up. "Riley..." Sam finally muttered. "Run ahead an' tell Alex t'get a bed ready fer your grandfather. We'll send him south once he can handle the journey." He then turned toward his son. "Soma. I need tha' wall down."

Soma, who was nearly shaking with silent anger as he saw his grandfather laid low and now knew his mother was in chains, only nodded. He couldn't trust himself to speak in that moment.

 

[heartofcourage]

Riley gave her father a nod and did as he asked, shocked that her mother had given herself over to the enemy in exchange for Owen. By the time Alex had been informed and Owen was being brought in, Riley had found it impossible to even feel her mother. There was no connection to her, which frightened her immensely.

“Can you feel her?” Riley asked Soma softly when he arrived with Sam. “Please tell me you can.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"I can't," Soma murmured. Riley could feel anger radiating off him in a way she'd never known from her gentle little brother. "But she's not gone. Otherwise that other Caller would be focusing on us." Giving his sister a long look, Soma forced himself to take a deep breath. "I have a border to take. And without Ma to help us and Jani still out of commission, I'll need you and Andre more than ever. Once we have a plan to disable their anti-dragon weapons, I need fire and chaos in the rebel camp. We've been trying to give them a chance to turn coat or go home in peace. They've had long enough."

Soma looked over as their grandfather was carefully settled in, the old Fox starting to wake. He asked Alex where Fiona was, begging him weakly to stop her. Alex calmed him gently, directing his son off to the side to prepare some painkillers and a light sedative for Owen. Owen soon spotted Soma and Riley, and they could see immense guilt etched into his features, tears streaming once more. They'd never seen him in such a state before.

Soma didn't hesitate to stride forward and take Owen's hand as Alex propped him up with a few pillows. "You don't have to worry about her, Uka. She knows what she's doing, and you know her safety is our top priority. You'll see her before you know it." Even if Soma hardly believed it himself, he put on a confident front for his ailing grandfather, even offering a small smile. "Between Da and Riley and I, we're almost as stubborn as Ma alone. We'll get her back."

 

[heartofcourage]

“Uka.” Riley murmured softly, coming to his other side and gently nuzzling against him. “If anyone can hold her own, it’s Ma. You need rest and not to worry.”

She knew her grandfather wouldn’t listen and would worry for his daughter. The least they could do was sit with him as Alex got him comfortable.

“She needs you to be strong right now.” Riley whispered against the old fox’s ear. “To heal and be ready for her return.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"I left her behind again," Owen wept shakily, naturally tucking his head against Riley's.

The tent flap opened and Riley saw the tall Wolf Nora step in, a thick blanket folded over her arm. She paused, seeing Riley and Soma beside Owen, but she decided to push through her own doubts and stepped forward. "I don't mean to intrude," she spoke softly to the two children, carefully laying the blanket over Owen. "I just... wanted to see if I could help."

Owen looked up at Nora, quietly surprised when she reached out to smooth his fur back. "We'll figure things out later, Owen... But we promised to look after each other. I don't intend to break that promise now."

Owen could only press his cheek into her touch, exhaustion and medicines slowly pulling him into a merciful, temporary oblivion. Nora tucked him in carefully alongside Riley, murmuring, "I know you don't know me... But he looked after me and starved himself for me when we were younger. No matter what's happened since, he still has a special place in my heart. I'll do everything I can to keep him comfortable while you two work. And Blair has made it clear that she'll do just about anything to get your mother back."

Nora was perhaps barely older than Fiona, and Blair barely older than Riley. But age didn't seem to matter to Nora as she looked upon the Fox that had once been her mate, even if they had been forced together.

 

[heartofcourage]

Riley looked over at Soma, knowing that they both had the same suspicious nature. However, it was clear that their grandfather had a past that they didn't yet know the extent of and if he were willing to accept Nora into his life again, then they should at least try and do the same.

"Ma is all that he has left of our grandmother." Riley said softly. "She haunts him which will make this even more difficult."

Riley kissed Owen's uninjured cheek once more and then stood to face Nora. "You're welcome to stay as long as you like. My brother and I have things to discuss with our father."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'll be by his side, and you'll be the first to know if anything changes," Nora promised them quietly, taking a seat beside Owen.

Soma followed his sister out, in deep, dark contemplation the whole way til they found Sam waiting for them in Soma's war tent. The most senior officers from across the Northern Armies had been gathered. Any missing were managing the battle still. Fiona's officers were there as well, listening as Sam informed his finest soldiers that his wife was now in enemy hands.

"With Fiona's safety on the line, we have to take the wall fast to make sure we can reach Edinburgh quickly when the time comes," Sam told them all. "And I've been informed we now have Prince Ramsey's new bride... Which makes this even more delicate."

Soma confidently joined his father's side, speaking up with absolute determination, "The wall will come down the moment we can get the dragons over there. To do that, their weapons need to be brought down. I need task forces experienced in guerilla tactics and stealth, so I would like to pull in agents to find a way in under their noses, and then send Axemen and our finest skirmishers. Breaking the ballistas won't be difficult, but the more robust engines and the cannons need more careful attention. Ideally I'd like to capture the cannons for our own use, so rather than destroying them, I want the enemy powder stores destroyed."

"I need experienced guerilla fighters for this," Sam demanded, looking over those gathered. "No greenhorns, no trainees. I need folks who won't shy away from explosions or dragons. Pick out anyone you can spare, an' send 'em to Durban an' the Axemen to prepare."

 

[heartofcourage]

As the northerners spoke strategy and made plans to destroy the wall, Fiona settled into her cell beneath Edinburgh Castle. She lay on a cot, staring at the ceiling as the sounds of dripping water reached her. It was punctuated from time to time with moans or cries of pain and fear, but they were far away. It wouldn't do for her to be able to talk to fellow prisoners.

She knew the moment that she wasn't alone any longer. Sitting upright, her wrist chains sounded in the silence as she glanced towards the bars of her cell and saw someone that she recognized as the mysterious caller.

"It must be frustrating to be bested." Fiona murmured as she stared him down.

 

[KieranSoares]

The Caller she now knew as Markos stared back with wild brown eyes, most of his features shrouded in a thick beard and long black hair. His expression was blank, but his wide eyes seemed to be looking at her like he was memorizing something.

"He says you're a Fox hiding in human skin," an airy Greek accent muttered. He came closer to the bars, a bundle clutched to his chest and one hand wrapping around a bar. He was clad in loose hides and wool clothing, the dyed and embroidered patterns mimicking extensive tattooing that reminded Fiona of ancient Greek and Roman stone paintings. It looked almost shamanic or religious, heavily leaning in favor of Prometheus, Hercules, Icarus, and other Greek legends. Most prominent was Medusa, snake patterns weaving between other designs all over his exposed skin and culminating in the gorgon's face across his chest. Even his face had snakes bordering his jaw and temple on one side.

"He says you're an omen of the end of things," he continued softly, though it wasn't clear who he spoke of. Markos leaned further against the bars til his face touched them. There was something extremely off about him, like his mind wasn't all there, or was twisted in a way Fiona had rarely seen.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You tell me." Fiona said as the man stared at her so closely. "Am I a fox hiding in plain sight?"

Of course, he would know it was true having spent so much time in her mind, but she wasn't entirely sure if this man lived in the moment or not. Did he even know that he was speaking to a living being? Slowly she stood from her cot, the chains around her wrists rattling as she did. The sound was disturbingly loud in the quiet cell, disrupting them both for a moment as she looked down to stare at herself before she raised her gaze back to him.

"I've come here to end him, if that is what Royer means, but I can assure you that I'm not an omen of anything." Fiona said as she stepped closer to the bars. "Tell me...what dragon claims you? Lady Reven lives in my head. Who lives in yours?"

 

[KieranSoares]

Markos's blank stare broke into a grin as she mentioned Royer. "Brennan doesn't speak to me more than he has to... He doesn't say very interesting things anyway. No... the 'he' I speak of is my patron. Your Reven is quiet these days. She speaks rarely, speaks softly... Mostly to the youngest Callers of your line. Mine yet lives, but he spoke even less til very recently."

Markos's arms wrapped a little tighter around the bundle against his chest. It wasn't clear what it all was, wrapped in leather and bound with two belts. "He is the answer to the truly age-old question, 'how long do elder dragons live?' Dear lady, they can live  forever. Your Schaller- your Gyllhyr- has seen a millennium. But great Hesperus, named for the evening star Venus, was here before Christ and before any silly books full of commandments that drive their followers to war over a desert in the south."

He reached into the front of his loose shirt, withdrawing what looked like an ivory pendant. Fiona, however, knew it was made of a dragon tooth. The original piece must've been titanic, but it'd been carved into a small oval pendant and given Greek scrimshaw-like designs depicting a goddess with the sun rising behind her. "He sends his greetings to you, White Fox," Markos murmured. "He sees what you really are. A true Fox descended from an almost-pure line. The only impurity, it seems, was the woman who began our shared profession as Callers. How I envy you, to have the blood of the mightiest Arbiter-turned-Caller running in your veins. My blood is not hers, but my ancestors were once her dearest comrades. And portions of our two families left to Greece generations later. Then yours returned... Now, mine has come back north as well. It seems we're fated to follow each other."

Markos promptly plopped down on the floor in front of her cell, like a young child eager for storytime. "You are far more interesting than any of this political nonsense. I've been looking forward to meeting you for years since your legend began."

Offering a hand through the bars close enough for her chains to allow her to reach, Fiona could see Markos was missing his little finger, and his skin was more ink than flesh right down to his fingertips. "How rude of me... Markos Karides, once of Sparta, now of the Orkneys." Considering the immense battle they'd had over Blair and the vicious assault he'd kept up on Fiona for so long, he would've seemed outright friendly if not for the strange air about him. Words that should've seemed friendly and hospitable instead came across with an unsettling twist.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Hesperus." Fiona murmured, thinking on all of the elder dragons that she knew and failing to place that name.

She watched as Markos pulled out a large white tooth and showed her proof that he did exist, that he saw what she was and that he welcomed her. He knew that the only impurity in her line had been Margaret...and now Blair who was born part wolf and part fox. Fiona was incredibly cautious as the man seemed almost giddy that she was there, even chained as she was and captive.

"I'm afraid that you'll find me just as boring as Royer's political nonsense." Fiona said as he sat down in front of the cell and even reached inside to offer his hand. "Fiona Blackstone Ghis of Inverness." She offered in return, taking his hand as she slowly sat down near the bars opposite him.

 

[KieranSoares]

Markos's grin grew wider as she accepted the handshake. "You're already far more interesting... and more personable."

When he drew his hand back, he immediately set aside the leather bundle as if it was no longer of interest to him. "I've always wanted to meet a Blackstone. Unfortunately, the first one I met didn't even know she was a Blackstone. Still, there was plenty to learn from her bloodline even if she herself knew nothing. I'm fairly certain that at this point, I've scoured every journal, every tribal story, even ancient ruined shrines to learn about Reven. The only resources I haven't seen or heard are those that you and your clan keep. Gyllhyr was much easier to learn about thanks to his public appearances beside you, and then I suppose there's little to learn about the youngsters Rikke and Sveri as of yet." He smiled to himself almost pleasantly at the mention of the young dragons. "Now, Dzana and Idunn... They've been quite a challenge."

He was like a scholar casually discussing his findings with a peer, as if Fiona wasn't a prisoner with her life on the line. He clearly revered the elder dragons deeply, and it seemed his life's work had been studying them and their histories and legends. It was something Fiona had never gotten to get too far into outside of Schaller's history, which she knew well thanks to their connection.

"You see," Markos continued excitedly, "Idunn is still rather young, but so very full of potential. I'm sure you know she was named for the Norse goddess of spring, wife of Bragi. Such a godly name is immensely powerful, and she used it well as a warrior before she went to sleep. And knowing that she's come out of hibernation and now partnered with a Blackstone... the mind soars with possibilities. I'm ecstatic to see what the young Prince can do beside her. But you see, dear lady, the most interesting thing about these elder dragons is that only a few have ever bound themselves to a human or werefolk bloodline, and only four of those mostly-pure bloodlines still exist; Reven and the Blackstones, Hesperus and the Karides, and the long-lost Vestholm and the Barbarossas. Or, the Hendriks now, I suppose. The fourth, if you can still count it since it's been mixed but remains very strong, is the combination of Vestholm in the Zaufbergs, and a Tibetan dragon known as Koahkapa in Dola of Longdui, resulting in Andre Koah Zaufberg."

He then sat back a bit, as if realizing he was rambling. "My apologies. I've never gotten to share my findings with one of my peers. I'm afraid Blair was a bit skittish about me, and usually too busy to listen anyway."

 

[heartofcourage]

“I suppose Royer encourages your pursuits.” Fiona said as he rambled on about the history of dragons and everything he knew about their riders. “It gives you power. I’ve been too busy fighting wars to really look into the lives of the elder dragons. Speaking with them and living with them have given me a unique advantage.”

Her eyes cast towards the bundle that had been placed aside and she nodded towards it. “And what is that?”

 

[KieranSoares]

Markos looked to the side as if he'd forgotten completely about the bundle. "You know... I have no idea. The warden handed it to me." He reached over to unfasten the belts and unrolled the leather, revealing a line of wicked tools and blades all held in place by loops. It was like a roll of farrier's tools, but these implements were dangerously sharp and clearly meant for torture.

"Oh," Markos murmured. "I entirely forgot." He then looked at Fiona with a little smile. "I don't need to use these, do I? You've been very pleasant so far. But then again, I am supposed to ask some questions you may not want to answer."

 

[heartofcourage]

“Your lord Royer has grown dangerously full of his own self importance.” Fiona said as they both looked over the wicked instruments of torture. “He would know, if he cared to, that I spent my younger days in prisons and dungeons. They don’t bother me.”

Glancing up at Mario’s, she let out a long sigh. “There are things that I will never answer. Things I can’t answer. I’m sure that you know why. I won’t betray my family or the dragons.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"Brennan isn't terribly interested in the dragons, he leaves that to me... But we may have a problem on the other topic." He withdrew a small curved pair of shears to examine them. "I've had my fair share of these too. The Church loves to preach brotherhood and charity and all that, which they don't even provide to their own people. But outsiders and heathens like us, they reserve dungeons and torturers for us, all ending in a noose or a burning stake."

Standing from his spot on the floor, Markos picked up the bundle under one arm. "Warden!" He called down the hall. "A table, please. And two of your men." A confirmation was called back, and soon two guards came carrying a long, worn table laden with straps and chains down the hall. One opened the cell and the pair grabbed Fiona by her arms, pulling her back further into the cell as Markos pushed the table in and closed the door behind him.

"I try not to be cruel in life. Life itself is awful enough," Markos explained quietly as Fiona was roughly forced onto the table and the guards began securing straps. "But... I have debts and loyalties to repay, and I'd be forfeiting my own life if I refused. I am deeply sorry, dear sister." Markos laid the tools out on the cot within the cell, pulling a few free and coming to her side.

 

[heartofcourage]

“You…” Fiona murmured as his mood suddenly seemed to change and he stood with a purpose in mind. “So pretty words about dragons but still bound by the duty of an executioner.”

Fiona let the guards pull her to her feet, only struggling as they pulled her over towards the table. She kicked and squirmed, looking over at Markos as he explained that this was all part of his promise to Royer and he had debts that needed to be repaid.

“Then you understand my loyalties as well. He said as long as I behaved myself, I would be treated fairly. Is this fair treatment?” Fiona asked as her wrists and ankles were bound tightly to the torturer’s table.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Brennan's idea of good behavior is absolute submission," Markos informed her simply, as if it was a common fact. "I'm sure you've heard how he treats anyone who puts even a toe out of line. Even his son is not safe from that wrath."

Markos chose a pair of pliers while a guard forcefully flattened Fiona's hand on the table. "We'll start very simply," Markos explained, all his good humor seemingly gone now. "Please answer my questions. I don't want this any more than you do."

She could feel the teeth of the pliers close around a fingernail, threatening to pull the entire nail out. She knew Kell sometimes used the tactic on dangerous prisoners. It was incredibly painful, but not permanent. However, she could see another guard arrive outside the cell, a heavy hammer over his shoulder. It was a clear message that much worse was coming if she resisted.

"First of all, simply confirm something for me," Markos murmured. "Katherine Ghis's son, Prince Brogan... He survived the attempt on his life twenty years ago, yes?"

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona took in a calming breath as Markos asked about Brogan, the pinch of the pliers warning her of what was to come.

“Of course he did.” Fiona answered. “As hale and hearty a young man as you can meet. He’ll make a good king one day.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"One can only hope," Markos muttered, the two guards looking at him with narrowed, suspicious eyes. But Markos moved on. "Amadeus Hess... We understand he burned in his castle, but someone was sent after him beforehand by Khelt Aleister. Who was that agent and why were they specifically chosen?"

 

[heartofcourage]

“I’m not privy to the name of his agents or why he sees fit to send them.” Fiona answered. “Khelt Aleister operates on his own without regard to my plans most of the time. All I can tell you is that I normally have an agent with me at all times for protection. I couldn’t even tell you their name.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"Incorrect," Markos sighed. With that, searing hot pain shot through Fiona's entire arm as Markos yanked on the pliers, pulling out the entire nail from her smallest finger. He let the bloody nail drop to the floor, his nose scrunched slightly in disgust. He explained almost casually despite her pain, "We know it's the girl Brogan Ghis grew up with. Shani McClure, the daughter of Katherine Ghis's closest advisor and personal guardian. It's hard to hide a person who's always at the Prince's side. I just wanted to see if you'd be kind enough to cooperate... but it seems we'll just have to struggle."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona let out a cry as he yanked her mail off smoothly, already knowing the answer to his question but testing her cruelly. She turned her gaze towards his and instantly struck out with her mind, causing him as much pain as he might have caused her.

 

[KieranSoares]

Markos staggered slightly at her sudden strike, but something was different this time. Someone else was there who absorbed part of her blow. It was an immense ancient presence, and it struck back with a vengeance as a low rumble came to her in the language Fiona knew not in her mind, but her blood, "Blackstone..." It was recognition, but also a warning against striking his Caller.

Shaking his head, Markos took a deep breath as the guards stared at him in confusion as to what had just happened. "I see," Markos muttered. "You know, the one downfall of being a Caller is that we can only battle with those of dragon blood... Brennan's real executioner won't have a problem dealing with you. But he's far more... thorough. You can either cooperate with me and have my good word on your side when Brennan decides whether or not to execute you, or you can deal with Harald. He won't ask you questions until you're good and broken first."