Partner

Yay. Well. Not really. As this could be the last for today. Which... well, isn't the cliffhanger I left you with last time, but it's not much better. I apologise about the cliff hanger, kind of.

But... three? In under four hours is a lot, even for me. I need a break. My brain's gone all... dead? So there might be an update later tonight but I can't promise anything. What with the big meal that's being cooked and all.

Read, Review and Enjoy.





Mik rushed into his apartment and forced himself to slow at the steps that led up to the green room. He took a breath, forced himself to be calm. The steps seemed steeper than usual. He came to the green room, glanced around it and then moved towards the open spot on the floor where Paw and Lillow sat, side by side.

Both sat with crossed legs, backs straight and hands on their knees. Their eyes were closed and Mik knew that he would have to wait several minutes before either of them took a breath, let alone acknowledge him.

The man sat, imitating the Sidhe’s stance.

He had no idea how to reach the communal mind. Any time he had gone there, Paw had led him to and from. Had held him together. There was no way for him to reach the Sidhe, to go where the Sidhe had gone to. Not by himself.

His phone rang downstairs.

Lillow’s eyes snapped open, she looked around, bewildered and confused as she seemed to try to recall where she was and who she was. Mik sighed out, drawing her attention to him, before speaking.

“Lillow?”

She sighed out and lowered her head slightly. Mik stood slowly.

“I need to get the phone, Lillow, Mik will be right back. Lillow?” Mik thought for a moment and decided to speak as much like a Sidhe as he could, “Lillow alright? This one alright?”

“Auh,” Lillow muttered, flopping backwards suddenly, her head bouncing loudly off the wood floor, “Ohhhh.”

Mik winced at the sound of Lillow’s head bouncing and walked back through the maze of green and to the steps. He snatched up the phone and clicked the button.

“Hullo?”

A scuff behind him and Mik turned. Souse went up the green room steps. Mik frowned as other Sidhe trickled in behind the leader.

“We have an issue,” Mari muttered into the phone.

“What’s the issue?”

“The Valeasans have bombed the area of forest that we suspect Whisper was headed to.”

“Son of a-”

A blood curdling scream came from the green room. Mik managed to keep hold of the phone, reminding himself that he might need the damned thing, as he shoved Hohi out of the way and vaulted up the steps. The scream turned to a keening. Once voice was joined by another and another and another. Mik slipped on the hardwood floor and nearly knocked Essuan, and thus her mesa, over in his rush to get to Paw’s side.

The Sidhe keened as one, each adding their voice to the song as they arrived in the green room. Paw sat in the middle of it all, holding the mesa tightly. The child was looking around, seemingly not understanding what was going on. Alive and well, at least.

Paw’s head was tilted back, eyes closed and mouth open. The source of the scream.

Mik put the phone back to his ear, “Mari. Are you getting this?”

“Yes. Partners are coming. How do I instruct them to proceed?”

“Make food, prepare tea and stay downstairs,” Mik responded, “I don’t know what’s going on and if… what you say is true. Then we have a large issue and partners would not be welcomed.”

He hung up the phone and crouched by Paw. The keening stopped as abruptly as it began and Paw lowered his head, adjusting the mesa in his arms slightly before becoming still once more. Lillow was still laying down beside Paw. Souse sat beside Lillow and the other members of the tribe collected around Paw. All were quiet, all ignored Mik as they gathered close around Paw.

The phone began ringing again. Mik sighed, swore and answered it.

“Sir,” a voice that Mik didn’t recognise said, “we have reports coming in from drones.”

“And?”

“There are Sidhe in the city, sir, what do we do?”

“Where’s Mari?” Mik demanded.

“On the phone with the president and her father, sir, awaiting your order sir.”

“Shut down the sector. No people in or out, empty out where they are.”

“Sir?”

“What? Damn it, what? What is so hard to understand about that? We have the resources to do it!”

“Sir. There are Sidhe in every sector of the city,” The voice changed, like the man had changed his angle or was trying to do multiple things at once, “they are converging on your location, sir. What do we do? Galt is ordering out units.”

“Units. As in military men? To do what, exactly?”

“Collection, sir.”

“Call them off. Call them off now. They cannot approach those Sidhe. Do not, I repeat, do not approach the Sidhe under any circumstances. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, sir. I will pass on the order.”

Mik hung up the phone and moved to the windowed wall of the apartment. He peered out and found several eyes peering back at him. The man counted as best he could, knowing that he only saw a few of the faces peering from rooftops all around. One was hanging from the side of the apartment complex across from them. The building was one of those new fangled ones that had smooth sides, up and down. Not exactly easy to hang off of. Drones buzzed around the neighbourhood. Hundreds of them, all peering at the Sidhe as if wondering what was going on and why people were hanging from buildings. One drone tried to pluck the Sidhe from the side of the building, thinking the creature was a jumper. The Sidhe batted the drone’s hand away and when the mechanical grasper came back, the Sidhe grabbed it and flung the drone to the ground.

Koln stepped up beside Mik, looked over at the other apartment and sighed.

“I told the partners to stay downstairs,” Mik muttered, “are you not a partner?”

“I am,” Koln responded calmly, “but. Screaming? Sidhe through the city. Sounds like…” Koln glanced back at the Sidhe, having the same thought as Mik and not wanting say something that might upset the Sidhe, “we have an issue. And the other Sidhe are gathering here.”

“Around Paw,” Mik murmured, “Which can mean one of two things.”

“Meaning?”

“Either Paw is the heir. Or. The mesa is the heir,” Mik continued at Koln’s look, lowering his voice, “this is the Sidhe we are talking about. Whisper talked about remaining alive until his heir was ready. He spent the time to talk to Paw about his actions. Paw has said that he is not the heir. It is a possibility. All we can do now is wait for them to come to and tell us what is going on.”

“And for now?” Koln murmured.

“For now. We go downstairs and prepare some food for the Sidhe. Bring it up for them along with some tea, perhaps. We need to keep an eye on the wilds that are in the city. I’ve ordered off the units that Galt ordered to collect them. But there will likely be casualties. Both of Sidhe and people. We have to minimize the damage. Any Sidhe that’s left behind by their tribe need to be brought in. Hopefully Essuan can help them. If not. Perhaps Lillow can. But we have to care for those that are left behind.”

“What makes you think one will be left behind?” Koln hissed to Mik, “they aren’t exactly the leave behind type.”

“Scour the city once they leave.” Mik snapped at Koln, “and make certain there are no more Sidhe. Any that are found need to be brought in. It does not require an explanation as to why there would be Sidhe left in the city, but that there may be Sidhe in the city so bring. Them. In.”


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