The Edge of Tomorrow

a/n: Special thanks to everyone who has read, rated, and reviewed. Please enjoy the next chapter.

Infinity's End: Book One

The Edge of Tomorrow - Chapter Six

Where the hell was she going to go?



That thought reverberated through Ione's mind over and over as she moved, not quite running but not quite walking casually either. She glanced over her shoulder often, unable to shake the feeling that eyes watched her. That dangerous beings dogged her steps. Though logically, she knew no one had followed her. Ione's heart beat like a mad drum inside her chest, a mixture of adrenaline and fear and a heady dose of absolute fury.



She shook from head to toe, hands clenched into fists at her side in an effort to contain herself. Ione hadn't even been able to say anything to her parents. Or to her team. She'd had no choice but to slip into the barracks, grab as many supplies as she could, and then steal away into Moriarty and beyond to cover of the forest. Anything else risked their lives on top of her own.



What the hell was she supposed to do?



She didn’t have a plan, a destination. Just a journey away. Anywhere far, far away. Anywhere but Grayshire. Or Moriarty. Or Meropis itself.



Frustration battered against the torrent of emotions ripping through her, making her aether rise and fall in steadying waves until it lashed at the trees around her. Knees buckling, Ione drew in a stuttered breath and pulled herself together. At least in the metaphysical sense. Seeking solitude, she dropped the pack she’d procured from the barracks against the roots of a magnolia tree. Then, Ione proceeded to lower herself against the trunk and swiped her hand across her forehead. She wanted to scream and shout, to rage against something, anything. But all she had was the forest, and it didn't deserve her fury.



Ione's hand scrubbed down her face, and she left it there, blocking her expression from the sky. Fenris was there at her side, and she felt him lick at her dangling fingers; he was her only comfort. Ione pressed against the bark, able to feel the hard surface digging through her tunic. The discomfort was a stab of reality as a fresh memory, the reason for her flight, dragged to the forefront of her mind.



“What do you mean, they're coming for me?” Ione hissed, nearly losing her hold on Hayden's belongings as she gaped at him. “That's not funny.”



“It's not a joke.” Hayden shook his head and dragged her back to her feet. “They think you're aligned with the rebels,” he whispered urgently, pulling her towards a nearby alley and out of the public eye. Going so far as to leave behind his important things.



Her heart leapt into her throat as the quiet darkness of the alleyway enclosed them and lent privacy to their discussion. “Why would they think that?” she demanded, not thinking for one moment that Hayden could be lying to her.



Blue eyes flickered to Fenris, who had once more sat back on his haunches. He watched their conversation with a gaze that held too much intelligence to be just a pet. But only if someone knew enough to look closely.



“They know what he is,” Hayden explained, and Ione felt something inside of her clench with fear. “He's a forest spirit, isn't he?”



Ione fell back against the opposite wall, able to feel the rumbling of the loom from within. It rumbled against her back, a motion normally soothing if not for the situation. Especially with her heart trying to escape through her throat.



“I...” One hand rose, fingers briefly touching against her forehead. “How do you know this?”



But she didn't really need his answer. She knew.



Hayden was a servant in Wyndham manor. His mana had never been enough to ensure his graduation from Conservatory, but it was more than the average commoner. It gave him the unique allowance to be a servant. It was a position still higher than his roots but significantly lower than someone like Ione or Ophelia who’d both been granted scholarship and status thanks to the breadth of their power.



“Do you know what you're risking, Hayden?” Ione shook her head, grabbing his gaze with her own.



Fear for him was beginning to fight with the fear for her own life. They’d do awful things to him for helping her. For even thinking to warn her.



Her hand whipped through the air towards the mouth of the alley. “Dozens of people, of nobles, just saw you drag me here! If they believe me to be a rebel, they're going to think the same of you!”



A soft smile was Hayden's answer. And it was filled with more strength than Ione would have been led to suspect.



“They just saw us go into the alley together. But if questioned, who do you think they’ll say did the dragging, Ione?” he asked rhetorically, and there was a good deal of shrewdness to his tone. Something she didn’t expect of him “You’re a member of the Brigade. And I’m just a servant. One who is shorter than you by inches. Not to mention the fact that I ran right into you just now. They all think you’re scolding me. At the very least. It’s what they’d do in your place. It’s the way the nobles think. I’m not threatening enough for them to think anything else.”



He quieted then. Waited for her reaction. But when she didn’t say anything, he pressed on.



“Besides, Ophelia would’ve never forgiven me if I had let them drag you away, Ione.” He softened again. “I love her, and she loves you. You aren’t her sister, but she thinks of you as one.” But just like that, something dark filled his expression, a stark contrast to the innocence he normally portrayed. “And you don't know the things I know. You haven't seen what I’ve seen. There’s no justice here. There’s only His Majesty and the nobles who follow his every rule. They’ll have your head on a gold platter by day’s end. And Fenris’ right there with you.”



His hand was on her back then, all but shoving her in the opposite direction from the one they’d come. It was odd, being manhandled by a person who barely came up to her chin. However, there was strength to his movements, a power that wasn’t born of aether but resolve.



“You need to leave, Ione. And do it quickly,” Hayden insisted. “Don’t wait. Do it now.”



“But...”



A part of Ione stuttered, unable to comprehend what Hadrian was telling her.



Fenris nudged against her back then and forced her to look down at him. His body was rigid, tail stiff and tense like the rest of him. And for once, he looked like the wolf he truly was.



“I detect no lies in his words,” he informed her and headbutted her along before turning to Hayden. “Thank you. This means much to us. We are in your debt.”



Hayden for his part just nodded. “It’s the least I could do.” He gave a little wave, realizing that he’d probably never see either of them again. “Be quick. I wish you the best of luck. Kaiyu go with you.”



And then, he was gone. Darting out of the alley at the same spot they’d entered. Ione didn’t even have a chance to stare after him before Fenris was on her again.



“We have to go, Ione,” he insisted with a nip at her backside that finally got her moving. “It’s not safe here any longer.”



Go, he’d said. As if Ione had somewhere to go. Where? Who would accept her now? She couldn't return home. She couldn't seek asylum. And once they learned she had up and vanished, when she didn't report in for duty tomorrow, they’d be after her.



“You are not alone,” Fenris rumbled from beside her, reassuring Ione of his presence. “I am with you. Now and always.”



Ione bit her lip at his words, at the promise evident in his tone. Her chest tightened, and she dug the heel of her palm into her eyes at the sharp prickle there but refused to let the moisture fall. Once the floodgates were open, she knew that she’d not stop.



“My parents tried to warn me,” she said in a choked voice. “They all warned me. Mama. Souya. And Jeredu. But I was an idiot and didn't listen.”



Fenris rubbed his head against her shoulder and then licked her cheek. It was sweet of him but did nothing to make her feel better. She took in a shuddering breath and fought the heat in her eyes.



“Hush, Ione.” The wolf nuzzled her again. “Don't place the blame on yourself. I have every suspicion that these humans need no reasoning behind their motives.”



Ione dragged in another ragged breath and somehow forced a calm she didn't feel. She needed to think. She couldn't fall apart here. She was a team leader, a lieutenant. She was a force to be reckoned with amongst the Brigade. She grew up around three brothers and with a father like Souya Tegan. She could easily stand head to head with rough and tumble men like Ryder and Malcolm. She would not crumble here.



“I know,” she replied. “You’re right. You’re always right.” Ione glanced skyward and exhaled slowly as she stroked her fingers down his back.



There was a flutter of something like butterfly wings above her. A stream of black and orange-yellow. But that was forgotten as quickly as she noticed it.



“I just need to think.”



Dropping her hand, Ione tried to remember which direction she’d fled. Her eyes studied the canopy that shielded most of the blue sky. High noon, she surmised, and they’d left Meropis by the North Gate before heading out towards the west to throw off any pursers. There were several outlying villages in this area, some more remote than others. She could hear a stream babbling nearby, which was probably the last trickles of Boysenberry Brook before it ran into the river. She was closest to Roublesville then.



Ophelia's home town. How very fortunate. It was like Kaiyu or Diana had smiled upon her. If they were real, that is.



Ione straightened with a plan of action cementing in her mind. It would be a place to hide out, at least for a short awhile. Roublesville was remote enough that Ophelia rarely visited, and it was known to be strictly loyal to Meropis. They wouldn't immediately suspect it as a place for Ione to find shelter. Or at least, she hoped she would shelter there. They might just string her up and hand back over to the next patrol.



“Feeling better?” Fenris licked at her fingers then. “We can rest for awhile longer if you want.”



Ione shook her head. “No, we need to get moving. And I’m sorry for having a brief meltdown, but I just found out that my own allies and friends want to kill me,” she retorted, pushing away from the magnolia and trudging deeper through the forest again.



“It was something you should’ve been prepared to face,” Fenris reminded her, but his tone wasn’t nearly as harsh as it could’ve been.



“Spare me the lecture,” she said with a tightening of her shoulders. “Save it for a little later, preferably a moment when I’m not fleeing for my life.”



His tail whapped against the back of her knees, making her stumble. “I'm your friend here. Your partner. Do not take your frustrations out on me.”



Ione sighed. But then, she scratched him behind the ears as a gesture of apology.



“I know. I'm sorry.” She rubbed the tips of his ears soothingly. “Forgive me?”

He took a moment to consider. Just enjoying the feel of her fingers.



“Only because you're cute,” he agreed finally and pushed his head further into her palm to encourage more petting.



For an ageless spirit of the forest, he had always been surprisingly affectionate with her. Ione was sure he'd explained it once upon a time, something about strengthening their bond and the like. But that had proven boring, and Ione had only been half-listening.



She managed a smile, heart lifted if only slightly by her familiar's presence. “So cuteness forgives anything these days?”



Fenris chuckled. And it was a devious thing.



“That and because you won't taste good in a stew.”



“Aaaaaaaaaah,” Ione drew out the sound. “And so the truth comes out.”



With that, she gave him one final scratch and headed on her way. He followed beside her with a wagging tail.



 

* * *

Several days later, evenfall marked her arrival in Roublesville. Ione was unable to shake the sensation that she was skulking about like some coward as she eased into the outskirts. A coward… or worse, a member of the Theravada, the rebellion. But then, she had been branded as such, hadn't she? They'd left her with little choice.



Roublesville was quaint, as all of the outlying villages seemed to be. Small houses spouted smoke from their chimneys and fenced in yards with clucking chickens and resting dogs. A dozen or so children laughed as they played in a small brook on the far end, and a group of ladies chattered over the well that served as the hamlet's focus. It was a small village, housing perhaps only forty extended families or so, if that. Its smallness showed.



This was certainly no Meropis. No Moriarty with people tucked away everywhere. No Grayshire with its forbidding nobles and tall towers. It was just a farming community with a few craftsmen thrown in here and there. Simple but nice people who wanted nothing to do with wars or rebellions or much of anything aside from peace.



Ione walked into the village feeling as if she had been marked. As if there was a giant scarlet target painted on her back. Logically, it was impossible for news to have reached Roublesville so quickly, but she couldn't help feeling on edge. She attempted to make her arrival low-key, using back alleys rather than the main thoroughfare to get to Ophelia's childhood home. The fewer who saw and could recognize her, the better.



Antoinette, Ophelia's mother, was in the garden when Ione approached, humming as she pruned the weeds from her squash and cucumbers. She and her daughter resembled greatly, both with the same red hair and almost pixyish features. And both looked younger than their ages told. They could nearly be mistaken for sisters in all honesty, something that had always amused Ione, who looked very little like her own mother.



She approached feeling strangely nervous. Ione knew that she was risking much for herself and for them to come here. But where else could she go? Besides, it would be temporary. Just for a few days while she gathered her wits and made a plan of action. Or something like that.



“Ione?”



She blinked and found herself at the edge of the garden where she'd apparently walked in and stopped without saying anything at all. Antoinette was looking at her with curiosity and something that might have been pleasant surprise, but that only made her feel worse.



“Evening, Antoinette,” she greeted with a little wave and smile she didn’t really feel. “Your garden looks wonderful.”



Rising to her feet, Antoinette pulled off one glove and reached to tuck loose strands of ginger hair behind her ear. “Thank you, Ione. But I don't think you came here to compliment my vegetables. Ophelia's not with you?”



Ione shook her head. “No, she's...”



Her words trailed off, uncertain where to begin. What to explain, how much she should risk telling Antoinette. Whether she should just turn around before she brought something terrible down on these people.



She glanced around, weighing her options even as she searched for onlookers. Ione knew that Ophelia’s father was dead and had been for some years, but she couldn’t help but expect someone else to come walking towards them. To come out and demand to know why she was there. But all she saw was the children playing in the distance. People calling on neighbors. A few animals just roaming the streets in search of a good scratch.



She shouldn’t have come here. She’d only bring trouble. And that, they didn’t need.



“I… I’m sorry,” Ione apologized, stepping back. “Never mind. I’ll just be going.”



She saw something flash across Antoinette’s face as she turned away. Ione was halfway back to the road when she heard the sounds of the woman starting to follow after her. But that was second to the sudden teeth that nipped at her backside.



Ione yelped and whirled to face Fenris. But he just lurched out and bit her a second time before she could even dodge. He stared at her with a hard look and then turned to Antoinette. Ione had a second to panic before he opened his lupine mouth again.



“Ione needs your help,” Fenris suddenly said. “We need your help.”



Ione didn’t even need to look at Antoinette to know she was gawking. After all, it wasn’t every day that someone heard a talking dog. Or wolf rather because anyone with half a brain could tell at first glance that Fenris was a one. But since humans couldn't tame wolves, everyone had always assumed him to be a large dog. One who happened to be a bit of a throwback.



“Fenris!” Ione hissed, once her own heart had decided that it didn’t want to beat out of her chest. Since really, this was only getting worse by the minute.



He gave her a lupine shrug. “It's not as if the secret isn't already out. What's the point of this charade, Ione?”



He had a point. But still, she didn't want Antoinette to think badly of her. To think badly of him. She knew exactly what the nobles thought of spirits like him. And the people of Moriarty had mixed opinions. There was no telling how Ophelia’s mother would react. If she would just faint dead away or call every one of her neighbors to come chase them away.



Ione turned back to Antoinette helplessly, waiting for the disgust or the fear. Waiting for something to signify that they weren’t welcome. While Ione and her family had always been accepting, the people of Meropis thought them to be demons rather than the protectors of the forest as they were in truth.



Strangely, however, she detected no disgust or fear in Antoinette's pale eyes that were exact mirrors of her only daughter's. There was lingering surprise and curiosity. But nothing further.



“Fenris?” Antoinette repeated, and she finished crossing her garden until she stood just before them. “As in the guardian of Diana's will?” She looked down at the wolf with something akin to respect.



Were Fenris a human, he would have arched one eyebrow. It was very obvious he was impressed by her knowledge.



“You’re knowledgeable for a human,” he commented softly, inspecting Antoinette as though he never seen anything quite like her. “I had thought the old beliefs forgotten.”



The older woman shook her head. “Out here, beyond the direct reach of Grayshire, we believe what we want to believe.” Her gaze returned to Ione, sympathy softening her features. “The nobles will not see this partnership for the gift it is. I take it that’s what has driven you here, dear girl?” She was already reaching for Ione with the same comforting arms that all mothers seemed to have.



A part of Ione felt like crying out of sheer relief. She had expected to be turned away, driven out of town with pitchforks and torches raised high. Ostracized for the demon that had never left her side. But instead, she found understanding. Fenris' gamble – if it had been such – had proven to be lucky in the end.



“Hayden warned me,” Ione admitted, letting Antoinette take her by the hand and guide her into the safe warmth of Ophelia's home. “If not for him, I would’ve shown up for duty tomorrow and found myself promptly arrested. Never mind that I'd served them faithfully from the moment I graduated Conservatory.”



Antoinette moved to wrap her arms around Ione’s shoulders. Her garden was long forgotten in the face of such obvious need.



“He's a good boy. I'm happy that Ophelia has chosen someone like him.” She pushed open the unlocked door and steered them inside. Only to pause once there. “What are you doing, dear boy? Come inside.”



Ione blinked, glancing over her shoulder where Fenris had stopped just inside the entryway. He was simply used to being allowed within Ione's home and never any other buildings. It had been pure reflex for him, no doubt. Not even thinking that here was actually welcome.



“Diana's guardian shouldn’t sleep outside as if he were some common animal,” Antoinette added with a sense of indignation squaring her shoulders and making her eyes flash. “That doesn’t do at all.”



“The humans of Grayshire would have seen no problem with it,” Fenris commented, entering and even going so far as to close the door behind him. A habit he had picked up at Ione's home.



“You'll learn that here in the villages, we humans are much different, Guardian,” Antoinette assured him with a lifted chin. She squeezed Ione’s shoulders and then practically planted the younger woman down in a chair.



The warmth of Ophelia's home washed over Ione, and she felt a stab of homesickness though it hadn't logically been that long since she left. It was the principle of the matter, carrying the knowledge that she couldn't ever return to her childhood home. To her parents and her brothers, her nieces and nephews, to her teammates and friends. She’d never been away for more than a few weeks at a time, and that was only while on patrol. Even during her years at the Conservatory, she’d gone home at least once a week. But now, she was gone forever.



Something hot and heavy settled in stomach as she watched Antoinette slip into the kitchen. It was all too familiar, all too much like her own mother. Baking bread or making dinner. Smacking Souya on the hand to keep the cookies away from his greedy mouth.



Ione suddenly wanted nothing more than to curl up on the couch with her mother like she still sometimes did. To laugh with Jeredu over the idiocy of her other brothers and watch Damon as he chased Toren around. To speak to Damon’s wife, Isolde, and hear her wax on about the greatness of their kids. To even see Souya’s manically grinning face and dodge his high kicks. Ione wanted it all.



But she couldn’t. Not anymore. Not at home. Not anywhere.



She didn’t know what to do.



“You can stay here,” Antoinette said then, as if reading her mind. She came up to Ione with a thick mug of something hot and spicy. “The both of you are welcome.”



“I… Thank you.” Ione could hardly swallow past the thickness of her throat. “It won't be for long.”



“Nonsense.”



Ophelia’s mother forced the mug into her hands. It was warm in Ione’s cold fingers and smelled wonderful. The delicious aroma floated to her nose and brought with it a seeping sense of calm into her. And Ione watched with surprise bordering on awe as Antoinette even went so far as to drop a saucer down for Fenris. Ione couldn’t begin to guess what it was, but it apparently appealed to the wolf’s sense of taste since he immediately lapped up the creamy liquid. A noise that strangely resembled a purr thrummed through Fenris' body, and she saw his tail sweep across the floor.



A hand fell over Ione's own then, startling her. She had wandered into another reverie. That seemed to be happening frequently today for some reason. Ione couldn't fathom why. She had everything decided now, didn't she?



Ione looked up. Antoinette was smiling at her, something soft and gentle.



“Stay as long as you like, dear girl,” the woman said, squeezing Ione’s fingers. “You're safe here. I promise.” There was another squeeze. “I won’t let them get you.”



Gratitude poured over Ione like a gentle rain. Her throat was thick again, and she could barely breathe through it. Her feet ached from days of walking to get there, and her heart thumped painfully in her chest. Heat tickled at the back of her eyes, but she held it in, unable to admit her weakness. Even to someone as gentle as Antoinette.



And Antoinette just looked at her with a soft expression on a face that was impossibly like Ophelia’s and all too knowing. She encouraged Ione to sip from her mug and stroked her hair back until she was done.



Ione didn’t know when she finally fell asleep, but when she woke, it was morning. Antoinette was already there with smile.

 

* * *

Life with Antoinette was comfortable. Easy. She had nothing particular to do and nowhere to be. Yes, she was cooped up, and Ione knew that would quickly get old. But the first few days were like a vacation. She got up whenever she wanted. She ate whenever she wanted. Did whatever whenever she wanted. Except go outside. Ione wasn’t willing to risk that yet. Not willing to venture out and chance the Brigade coming by in search of her.



They had to be searching for her, didn’t they? Ione couldn’t think that it would go any other way. They had to have noticed her absence. Had to have put two and two together and realized she’d fled. There was simply no other conclusion. They’d be hunting her. Her former friends and allies. They could even now be going through the villages, looking for her, even as they rooted out the rebels. She knew there’d be a manhunt. Even though she wasn’t important in the grand scheme of things, Ione was a lieutenant. Had been a lieutenant. And the Brigade would take that personally. She knew at the least that bitch Dharva would.



And Ione could only imagine the reactions of the others when they learned the truth. Well, if they learned the truth. She could just picture Ryder’s shock, the way his brow would rocket to his hairline as it always did. And the horror of Raine, eyes wide and pupils blown. Vaughn’s cold words of disbelief. The disappointed cast on Lord Celestine’s face, having given so much to her to get her that far. Malcolm’s curses, furious but also upset.



But for now, there wasn’t anything Ione could do about that. She could only continue to hide and hope for the best. Use Antoinette’s hospitality as a chance to rest and recuperate. To figure out what she was going to do. To take the opportunity to step back and just breathe.



The first three days she did exactly that. Slept late. Went to bed early. Eased the worry in her heart.



But that all changed on the fourth day.



Fenris was fast asleep on her bed, having not even twitched as she rolled out and got dressed. And Ione was just coming downstairs for lunch, hoping that Antoinette would be back soon. Despite the fact that they weren’t actually related, she’d inherited her Uncle Kieran’s abilities in the kitchen. Which essentially meant that anything above the basics was beyond her. Even Souya was a better cook, and he had induced at least one known case of food poisoning, though he still claimed that it’d been the pie Toren had made and not his beef stew.



Either way, Antoinette was like a gift from the gods. A culinary savior. And Ione would do just about anything to keep her cooking.



The front door opened just as her foot touched the bottom step, and Ione paused to be sure it was in fact Antoinette. She could just make out the trailing strands of red hair as the woman stumbled into the main room, nearly walking into a side table. It was only Ione’s quick actions that kept her from a disastrous fall.



“Oh, Ione!” the matron all but exclaimed then, coming out of her daze to realize who had saved her. “It’s so terrible. There was nothing I could do.”



Ione’s mind instantly went to the Brigade. Where they here? Had they followed her?



“What is it? What happened?” She fought the urge to grab the older woman’s shoulders, even as she sat her in a chair.



“A…” Antoinette naturally stumbled over the words. “A Merihem.”



Ione felt her heart stop and go cold in her chest.



“What!”



A Merihem! Here! How?



And apparently, she said that last bit aloud.



“I don’t know.” Ophelia’s mother was wringing her hands together. “It had to be a stray. I mean, we’re nowhere near the Flats.”



Ione stared at her in a mixture of shock and horror with liberal amounts of revulsion thrown in. She couldn’t decide if she needed to sit down or stay standing. And finally, she settled for squatting down next to Antoinette’s chair.



“What happened?” Ione asked, but it was more of an order. “Tell me what happened. All of it.”



The older woman was shaking her head again. Her eyes weren’t focused on Ione anymore. Just staring out at nothing.



“I don’t know, dear. I just… My cousin, Jeroen, he runs the general store, and I was in his shop when his son came running in. Said they’d found Landon. He’s been missing, you know,” she commented in an absentminded aside. “Since the day before you arrived. And they found him… What was left of him.”



She broke off to shudder. A full body tremble that practically vibrated her teeth. Antoinette took in several deep breaths afterwards, like a person trying to ease their suddenly revolting stomach.



“Go on,” Ione encouraged, one she had calmed a bit more.



Antoinette’s hands twitched. “Well, I went out to see. I know some about healing, but there was nothing I could do for him. Diana save us all, he was just… drained,” she told Ione in an appalled whisper. “Just dry. Like sticks that’ve been on the ground too long. His bones snapped like twigs even as they carried him in.” She put her hand over her mouth, unable to say anything more.



Ione could understand the sentiment. She’d never actually seen a Merihem. Not alive and not up close and personal. Just the remains of one. Pictures in her school textbooks. And she was willing to admit that the thought of facing one was unsettling.



Merihem ate people! Sometimes, they just sucked them dry. Other times, they took the choice bits of flesh. Ione didn’t know which option was worse. She knew that they could eat animals, too. But they seemed be partial to humans and the forest spirits. Almost like they preferred sapient life over other menu choices.



And if one was on the loose, fair money said that it was headed to where the food was at. To where a veritable buffet awaited. Right here. In the village.



Three guesses how that would turn out, and the first two didn’t count. They’d be slaughtered. Cut down and consumed. One by one. In entire groups. Everything in between. No help for them at all. Except for maybe her. Maybe because while she had an idea how to kill a Merihem and was certain that she could, Ione had never done that before. This would definitely be a first.



Even with that, the idea of Merihem hunting didn’t appeal to her in the slightest, but she was hardly about to let one run around on the loose. Especially this close to Roublesville. She might well be the only one in range strong enough to deal with it.



“Where?” Ione asked then. She rose to her feet and squared her shoulders, swallowing hard. “Where was it? Which direction?”



“Where do I need to go?” Ione questioned with resolve lifting her chin.



Antoinette stared at her for a moment before her words sunk in. Then, she shook her head.



“No, dear.” She took Ione’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “It… It’s already gone. Dealt with.”



Ione cocked her head at that and was about to demand to know who’d managed that. Who’d been strong enough. But then, she realized that the rebels had probably taken it out. It was just as much a threat to them after all. It had to have been them. The Brigade didn’t actively hunt Merihem. Only if they found them on patrol or if there’d been multiple fatalities. They wouldn’t have bothered for one measly villager. It’d have to slaughter more before they’d get involved.



The only reason anybody in the Brigade even bothered most of the time was because even more than regular humans, Merihem had a penchant for magic users. Most especially those with substantial aether, like nobles. People like that were the only ones who were ever consumed as well as sucked dry. As if they had something special in their parts that the Merihem wanted. Regular people… well, they just got drained. Like someone had stuck a straw in their necks – or stomachs or thighs, whatever part was handy – and sucked out all the liquid. Not just their blood but everything. Spit and tears and anything remotely wet. Until the person was left as little more than a pile of dust in the shape of a human.



And that seemed to be what had happened to the villager. Nothing much left of him save the husked out remains of bones and the torn up remnants of his clothes. Whatever pieces had survived his frantic flight from the monster and then its subsequent attack.



Ione swallowed down bile at just the thought. At least she didn’t have to go fight it herself. That was probably the sole semi-bright point of the whole damn thing.



But that was lost on Antoinette. She was just staring out at nothing. Face blank and eyes unusually moist. And even if Ione couldn’t do anything for the villager or about the Merihem, she could help with this.



She put her hands on the matron’s arm and helped her to her feet. Ione began to lead her to the kitchen.



“Come on, Antoinette. I’ll make us some…” she had second to wonder what the woman had that she could actually make. “Something. I’ll make us something.”



It was the least she could do for Antoinette. It was something she could do. And that was enough.

****

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