Caged

This is a chapter that feels very anticlimactic in comparison to the last one. It doesn't have any action in it and it's really just aftermath. Important, yes, but very boring to write.

 

By the time Fallin discovered which room Cleven and Tam had retired to, he feared it was too late to do anything about what Cleven was planning. He had clearly heard Cleven’s rant and his threats to poor Cypress, but he dared follow the two of them up the stairs only after they had reached the top for fear of Cleven’s discovery. Which door had it been? The second to the right? He was about to push the door open when Cleven’s furious roar caused him to leap back, just in time to watch the enraged beast charging down the hall.

Holding his breath, Fallin entered the room and searched for Tam. The wingless fairy was, surprisingly, intact; Cleven had apparently forgotten about him in his rage. What had come over him? Fallin had heard stories, of course, but he’d never seen Cleven like this. It was surreal, as if he were in some strange dream that would end as soon as the lights came back on.

Carefully, he stooped and draped Tam over his shoulders. For all his eating, Tam was surprisingly light and thin, although it was still awkward for Fallin to carry him to Liza’s room. He was glad that he’d had enough sense at the time to situate Liza in a room which was far away from Ellyra’s; the last thing everyone needed was for Prince Zayric to discover Liza’s true identity. Cleven was the most obvious crisis, though. Fallin waited several minutes before he ventured out of the room and back toward Liza’s, but he knew that Cleven could return in the blink of an eye.

It was strange, having to fear Cleven this way. He’d never really considered it. But now, as he struggled through the darkened corridor, he could feel his heart hammering in his chest and sense the sweat running down his back. And it wasn’t Cleven that he feared, not really: it was the beast that he had suddenly and unexpectedly become. What was truly horrifying was the realization that that beast would never be checked unless Cleven himself regained control of his senses, and until he did Cleven was allowing the animal that dominated his appearance to reign free.

Fallin was halfway to his starting point when the shout behind him made him lose his balance.

“Lights!” it cried. But it wasn’t the cry that startled Fallin so much as the voice that uttered it, and then what the voice continued to say after that. “Fallin?” it asked. “Are you all right? Oh goodness! Tam! What happened?”

“Oooh…” Fallin groaned, and looked skeptically over his shoulder. He winced and every muscle in his body tensed. “Cl-cleven?”

“Who else?” Cleven asked, now standing upright and reaching out a paw to help his friend up again.

Fallin stared at the malevolent claws and shrunk away from them.

“Wha…? Oh! Fallin!” Cleven immediately retracted the claws as much as possible and regarded his hands in puzzlement. “I’m sorry. I don’t normally keep those out that far. What’s the matter?”

The professor stared up at Cleven, wide-eyed. “I… Cleven? Is it… really you? Not that other… creature?” Intellectually, Fallin knew that the beast could simply lie in an effort to gain his trust, but he still asked the question in hopes that he could somehow trust the answer.

Cleven tilted his head to the right and his eyes, still as narrow and yellow as ever but no longer brimming with malice, pierced the darkness. “What creature? Fallin, what are you talking about?” He extended his paw farther. “Let me help. Tell me what happened.” The pitch of his voice changed slightly. “And will someone please bring up the lights? No wonder people are falling all over each other.”

After a few moments of calculation, Fallin accepted Cleven’s help and was pulled back onto his feet without much ceremony, wincing as his aching bones complained about all the rough treatment. “Thank you.” He mumbled, still watching Cleven warily. “You’re being awfully kind.”

“I try to make a point of it.” Cleven returned, confused. “What’s all this about?”

For all his tension, Fallin couldn’t help but relax a little when the lights returned. Although Cleven’s fur was still matted and bristled, he didn’t seem quite as fierce and unpredictable in the dark. “You don’t remember, I take it.” He responded slowly. “Cleven, you were out of your mind.”

Cleven blinked, squinting in discomfort at the flickering lights that now bathed the halls in dimness. “Out of my mind? What happened to me?”

Fallin gingerly reached out to touch the beast’s arm. “We think that your inner beast took you over. Zayric says that it’s happened to you before but you don’t remember any of it. Cleven, you were hunting Cypress. You… you threatened to kill him.”

“Kill…?” Cleven swayed a little, as if the information physically weighing him down. “But I would never hurt Cypress!”

“I know you wouldn’t, Cleven. We thought you wouldn’t, too. But apparently some part of you wants to.” The professor’s face softened in sympathy. Although there was still a small voice in the back of his mind screaming to run, Fallin overruled it. Cleven appeared to be back to normal – the outburst had vanished as quickly as it had come.

Cleven was about to respond when a soft groan drifting up from the floor stopped him. “Tam?” Cleven immediately dropped down on to all fours to inspect his fallen friend. “Are you all right?”

Tam’s eyes opened slowly but widened instantly as he caught a glimpse of Cleven’s face looming over him. Shrieking, he scuttled backwards, crablike, until he reached the wall. “Stay away!” He whimpered, his voice quivering and the stink of his urine-soaked trousers wafting freely around him.

“T-tam I—” Cleven began, hurt, but Fallin interjected.

“It’s all right, Tam.” Fallin soothed. “Cleven’s back to normal now. He won’t hurt you.”

Tam’s azure eyes darted swiftly between Fallin and Cleven. “Why is he standing like that?” He asked suspiciously.

“Because it was the fastest way to get to your level.” Cleven explained. “Would it help if I…?” He stood erect once more. “You look terrible, Tam. We should get you to be—”

“What have you done with Cypress?!” Tam demanded, his back pressed against the wall and his head whipping violently from side to side as if Cypress were there.

“I… I haven’t done anything to Cypress!” Cleven wailed. “I don’t even know where he is!”

“He’s not in his room?” Fallin asked, his brow wrinkling in concern.

“No!” Tam cried impatiently, his gaze locking on Cleven’s. “If he had been Cleven would’ve killed him! He must’ve heard us coming, must’ve escaped at the last minute. He must’ve—”

“I must’ve escaped from what, Tam?” Cypress asked, stepping into the half-light.

“Cypress!” Tam scrambled to his feet and stood defensively in front of his friend. “Don’t you come any closer.” He snarled at Cleven, who was moving toward him.

“Tam, what’s gotten into you?” Cypress asked quizzically, trying to move from behind Tam’s protective stance but was blocked as Tam moved with him.

“This monster tried to kill you!” Tam accused, pointing a quivering finger at Cleven. “And me too, for that matter!”

Cleven hunched over, his ears drooping. “I… I didn’t mean—”

“Of course you didn’t.” Fallin said firmly. “We don’t know how or why it happened, but somehow Cleven’s bestial instincts got the better of him, and so he decided to put Tam and Cypress’s lives in danger. But it’s all over now, so I would say that the best course of action is to regroup and decide what to do.”  

“That sounds like a good plan to me.” Cypress answered, resting a steadying hand on Tam’s shoulder and smiling reassuringly at him.

Tam shivered, glad that his best friend was still alive. “Where were you?” He asked softly, in a small, pained tone of voice that Cypress had never heard before.

“I went for a walk.” Cypress explained apologetically. “I’m sorry I didn’t warn anyone.”

“It’s a good thing you didn’t.” Tam rejoined, glancing darkly at Cleven. “It saved your life.”

“Please…” Cleven whined; if he had had a tail it surly would’ve been tucked between his legs.

“I forgive you, Cleven.” Cypress said, moving swiftly out from behind Tam’s protective arms. Offering his hand, he shook Cleven’s paw gently and glanced over his shoulder at Tam. “See? Friends. If Cleven wanted me dead he wouldn’t have taken such good care of me when I was sick.” As if on cue, Cypress coughed, but the fit lasted only briefly.

“You’re still sick.” Tam pointed out, still shaking but slowly starting to regain his composure. “Go back to your room and lie down before Zayric comes out and suspects something.”

Cypress opened his mouth to argue, but discovered that he lacked the energy to do so, and instead he nodded blearily. “All right. But do come and fill me in on whatever plan you decide to use.” He turned toward his room and had taken a few steps before swiveling his torso to look back at the other, now retreating backs, “and Tam?”

Tam glanced backward. “Yes?”

“Please look in on Ellyra. I’m afraid she’s not at all well.”

“I will, Cy. Now go get your rest.” Tam watched his friend move slowly to his room and trotted to keep up with the rest of the group, although he stayed behind Cleven, watching him suspiciously. “He visited Ellyra?” Tam thought in confusion, barely listening to Fallin and Cleven’s hushed chatter. “Why could he have done that?”

The party halted in front of Eliza’s door and it was opened before Fallin could lift his hand to knock. Zayric, looking worn and sleepy, slipped out of the room, pressing a long finger to his lips and shutting the door quietly behind him. “Ellyra’s sleeping.” He whispered, although his behavior had made such a conclusion rather obvious already.

Cleven cocked his head to the side, interested in his brother’s tenderness. It had been a long time since he’d seen Zayric go through such pains to make sure anyone was comfortable; in fact that last time he could remember it happening was when their mother had fallen ill shortly after Cleven’s own banishment to the castle.

Zayric regarded Cleven with narrowed eyes, squinted in response to the new light source. “You’re back to normal, I presume.” He whispered calculatingly.

Cleven nodded in response. “Did I really…?”

“Yes.” Zayric responded firmly. “And you’ve done it before, Cleven, just not to this extent. You nearly injured me once when I was visiting. But don’t worry.” Zayric’s voice was hasty in response to Cleven’s wide, frantic eyes. “You didn’t hurt me and everything’s all right now. Honestly I would’ve expected something like this sooner. Father was right to bring Ellyra. I don’t know what it is, but something about her is definitely slowing the progress of your outbursts.” Zayric’s eyes turned to Tam and he cast a disapproving glance at the state of his pants. “Go change.” He commanded brusquely. “You stink.”

For once, Tam did not argue, although his glare said more than any of his words ever could. He regarded Cleven for a few more moments and then turned hastily away.

“So much for regrouping.” Fallin muttered under his breath. He was not happy with the disorganization of the evening, although he was honestly glad that now everything was over, or at least at something of a standstill. “I think it would be best if we locked you in your room, Cleven.” He suggested apologetically to the beast.

“Now wait a minute!” Zayric cut in. “That’s a bit unfair.”

Fallin looked at him severely. “We should lock the door and guard the room. We know how fierce and powerful the unleashed beast can be now, and now that we have that knowledge we need to be extra careful. There are innocent people in this household and I won’t stand to see any of them hurt.”

            “You don’t really think I’ll do it again, do you?” Cleven asked anxiously, pawing at the ground with his left hind foot.

            “What’s to say you won’t, Cleven? And it’s dangerous that you don’t remember anything. One day you could come to your senses and have a mess of bodies surrounding you. We can’t risk that. I know you don’t want to hurt anyone but this is the safest way.” Fallin intoned soothingly, stroking the fur on Cleven’s shoulder with a gentle hand.

            “Most of the rooms lock from the inside.” Zayric pointed out, folding his arms in annoyance. “How are you planning to keep Cleven locked up under those circumstances, Professor Fallin?”

            “The east tower locks from the outside.” Cleven spoke up, his eyes trained on the ground. “And the window’s too small for me to squeeze through. It’s perfect.”

            “But it’s even darker and dingier than in the rest of the castle!” Zayric protested. “I won’t see you treated in such a manner in your own home.”

            “Professor Fallin is right, Zayric.” Cleven responded softly, resting a clawed hand-paw on his brother’s shoulder, his face contorting in pain as he recognized Zayric’s wince and tensing muscles. “I’m dangerous like this. I can’t believe no one told me before. And… it’s just for the night. For now. We’ll figure something else out for me tomorrow. Right now I think we all deserve some sleep, don’t you? I can last the night in the east tower and in the morning we’ll discuss what’s to be done. I just don’t want any of our guests to get hurt.”

            “Oh all right.” Zayric conceded ruefully. “But just for the night.”

            Cleven nodded his great shaggy head and dropped down to all fours to make the journey across the castle. “Just for the night. Professor, let’s go get the key and you can lock me in. Get some rest, Zayric. You look exhausted.”

            Zayric was exhausted, but before he turned to stumble into the room in which he stayed when he was visiting, he watched Professor Fallin and Cleven’s sleek, streamlined form disappearing down the hall toward the east tower.

 

*

            “All that silver?” Baron Sellworth eyed the silver mound and ran his fingers over the inscription carved carefully into it. “Isn’t that a bit of a waste?”

            “A bit.” Chancellor Larch agreed. “But only if it doesn’t serve our purposes, and you know that it will.”

            “But how is breaking a stained glass window going to start a war?” The baron asked, amazed. He was dressed in his family colors, deep crimson edged in midnight blue; the silk rustled as he walked. “It would seem to me like you’re merely causing some vandalism.”

            “That’s the way it appears, Sellworth, but in fact your role in this is far more crucial than you realize.” Larch replied shortly. “The windows in the royal ballroom are high, so high that they’re unreachable by any human without the aid of wings. The palace was designed centuries ago, when fairies and humans lived on land, so fairy architects were plentiful to help do the job. Because no one in Calassi has wings, with the exception of Cypress and Tamarisk, prince Zayric and the royal family will be forced to suspect them when the window is broken. Not to mention that the mound is silver – pure, fairy silver of the type that only our own can forge. From what you’ve reported, Prince Zayric already suspects fairy magic is at work; this will merely confirm his suspicions and lead him to go after Prince Cypress and that blasted Tamarisk. And this way, the prince lives and the war is started anyway. Less blood spilt. That’s desirable, is it not?”

            “Yes…” Sellworth answered thoughtfully. “Except, what of the power that King Asper lent to Tamarisk? I told you they were using it.”  

            “Well without Tamarisk and Cypress there, the peasant girl taking Ellyra’s place will be exposed. Don’t trouble yourself with them, Baron Sellworth. The humans aren’t worth your thought. It’s only the fairies we must concentrate on. The fairies and the war. This must happen, Sellworth. You know it will. For the good of our people.”            

            Sellworth nodded slowly. “For the good of our people.” He repeated quietly, musingly. “And the King can’t know.”

            “Certainly not. King Asper would never allow such traffic, which is why you must maintain the utmost secrecy. On the night of the ball I’ll make sure you and the silver get down to Calassi safely; I control schedule that controls the regiments guarding the borders so it should be easy. Are you up for the task? The fate of fairykind rests in your hands.”

            “Mankind, too.” The Baron whispered under his breath.

            “What was that?” Chancellor Larch asked, leaning forward.

            “Nothing, my lord.” Baron Sellworth amended quickly. “I’ll do it.”

            Chancellor Larch’s broad, powerful wings fluttered gently and his lips pursed in a thin smile. “Excellent.”

Author's Note

I think I outdid myself with the last chapter, so I'm really not too fond of this one. Comments?

Reviews

[Hannah!]

It was a bit anti-climactic, but it was obviously necessary. Those in-between chapters are hard. I liked (and hated) seeing another side to Tam--it would appear that there are times when he drops his oh-so-casual demeanor. Tam being terrified...wow. It was just kind of a shock, and if nothing else, brought the momentous previous chapter home to me in a very strong way.

And it was nice to look in on Lord Larch again. I really wish I understood why he wanted to start this war in the first place. I think you might have explained earlier, but if such was the case, it went right over my head. It just seems so...pointless. I'm sure it'll be clarified eventually, but right now, it's just making me squirm.

You do a good job with that, honestly. The suspense, I mean. XD I'm excited for the next chapter. Woot!