Part 2 (chapter unknown) - Vayla Returns

The return of Vayla. Authors notes included

I sought solitude away from them that evening. I did not revel in the thought of gazing at Sylvia with her attention locked on Michael. It pained me to see how much better he looked, the colour that was returning to his skin. It was agony to be near them, but at the same time it sent a violent jolt through me to think what they might do in my absence. Moving through the stone ruins I tried to clear my head. The night was growing bitterly cold as the wind blazed through the city. I sheltered against the remains of a white stone wall, sinking down to the ground. Everything which had seemed so right had started to fall apart.  It forced my heart into a temper every time he looked her way; the pain rose within me and put its cold hands around my lungs. Strangling me, killing me. I needed to forget her, it would be best for everyone. My new powers continued to disturb me, every time I used them I felt time I was hurting Sylvia. That deep inside I held some grudge against her. It felt silly to weep but I could not help myself.

                “Ruth?” I jumped up in panic. The voice sounded so familiar, yet it was not a friend.

                “Where are you?” I could not see two feet ahead of my in the dark “Come forward” I shouted, drawing my dagger from its sheath. I recognised her walk and her fair head before she was clearly in sight.

                “You! Why are you here?” I shouted in surprise and anger. Vayla stepped out of the darkness.

                “We need to talk, you have an idea of me, but it’s all wrong.” She stepped forward.

                “No! Get back! I don’t owe you anything-“

                “Ruth-“

“No! You killed me,” I shouted, holding my dagger in front of me. “Suddenly, with no warning, no trial, like it meant nothing!” Vayla shook her head.

“You’re not dead, it was deliberate, I never intended to kill you,” her face was flooded with emotion, but I found it hard to trust her again, i disbelieved ever word she uttered.

“You’re lying, do you have any idea what you put me through? How long I was alone in the forest? I WENT MAD IN THERE, ALL BECAUSE OF YOU.” I threw the dagger hard in her direction but Vayla stepped casually to one side.

                “AND WHAT” I shouted “IS THIS THING, WHY CAN’T I REMOVE IT?” I pulled down the top of my shirt to reveal the silver blade. Tears were running hot down my face, I didn’t know from what, all of the pain of my short life came rushing into me. Vayla opened her mouth to answer but I threw myself at her kicking and punching every inch of her I could reach. I wanted to take her beautiful blonde head and slam in into the rocks surrounding us. Being the expert fighter that she was most of my blows were deflected and eventually she managed to push me hard onto the ground. I tried to get up but she held me down with a firm grip.

“Listen to me!” she hissed, holding down my wrists. “The blade tells me where you are, I can remove it.” She reached forward to take it but I flinched away from her.

“Why? Why are you following me?” I asked holding her back. “Did the syndicate send you after me, to make sure I had died, is that it?”

“NO!”she shouted pulling my hands above my head. But I kicked her hard pushing her away from me. Immobilising her with a hard punch to the jaw I ran away.

“I was a member!” she shouted. I stopped.

“Of what?”

“The Birch Trust!” she shouted. She walked towards me again dusting off her knees “I always was.” I was shocked, confused. I didn’t understand.

“I’m sorry?” I said approaching her.

“It was Sebastian’s interests to keep you safe, for me to deliver him to you. It fell under my command when you were captured.” I stopped and looked directly into her eyes. I searched for the lie, for the hint that she was deceiving me again but I caught nothing. She wiped a trail of blood from her mouth.

“That hurt!” she exclaimed, holding a hand to her lip.

“Why did Sebastian want me safe? All I could do back then was make butterflies.” I flexed my hands in regret, wondering why I hadn’t just blasted her to pieces. Vayla shook her hand and staggered further towards me. Extending it, she grabbed one of my shoulders. Her grip was hard and encouraged me to stay rooted to the ground.

“It’s not what you can do, it’s who you were Ruth.” She lifted her hand from her swollen chin, leaving a dried trail of blood. “You need to be told what he’s planning. It’s not wise for any of the southern people to stay anymore.” I pulled off her grip. She looked bewildered and lost, a strand of blonde hair flying loose in front of her face again and her lip spouting droplets of blood.

“I’ll talk to you.” I conceded, exhaling in exhaustion and sliding down in front of one of the ruined walls. Vayla half attempted a smile then leant over swearing as she held her abdomen. She looked a mess. Not just as a result of my outburst but in general. Something had become less groomed about her, less put together. She seemed all together more human.

“I’m sorry, by the way,” I said indicating her chin. She shook her head, sending more strands of hair flying loose into her face.

“No, don’t be. I deserve worse.” She answered straightening up.

“You do.” I replied. She smirked, rolling her eyes. “Why’d you do it?” She flicked her hair out of her eyes and looked my way apologetically.

“What? Pretending to kill you? Or locking you away for weeks?”

“Both.” I said. She put her lean muscular arms on her hips and stared exhausted across the ruins.

“I had to, to save you from the shipping blocks. It was the only thing I could think of.” I sighed, exasperated.

“Vayla, you could have told me.” I said softly, catching her eyes. It struck me again how very young she was. Not omnipotent, not immune from human mistakes.

“I know,” she replied “I should have told you, I’m sorry.” She walked over and sat down beside me, letting her long slender legs fall out in front of her. I saw that the sides of her boots had discoloured like mine and were beginning to fall into disrepair.

“I liked you, I like you I mean. We’re not too different. Strong, impulsive, passionate, but we don’t trust easily.” She said, looking up at the night sky. There was a heavy tone of regret in her voice.

“I thought if I let you in on Sebastian’s plan you’d reject it. Run away. Get yourself murdered.”I looked at her, watching her eyes flick back and forth over the stars.

“And what is his plan Vayla? Why have you abandoned it? They are kind to us here. They are promising action. A new way of life for runners.”  Vayla moved away from the stars and stared absently at the stars.

                “Vayla, why does Sebastian need me safe?” I asked pressing for an answer. Eventually she sighed and turned my way.

                “Sebastian’s magic is extraordinarily powerful. He reaches out to people, when he put the coordinates on everyone we thought it would be the start of a new life. We were full of hope for a better future. You’ve met the Partholonians, you’ll understand why things need to change. But he also proposed an experiment. He wanted to see if the trust could reach out to barehanders. For it to work it needed to be someone deeply connected to magic. Somehow, the coordinates found you. Sebastian thought if he could reach out and influence a barehander by way of the coordinates, he might be able to... extend that somehow.”

                “What do you mean,” I asked.  Vayla looked away again.

                “Sebastian’s becoming more and more powerful. A while back he recruited the beseer baas, the twins. He seems intent on using them, together with his ability to spread pain across the barehander cities. Not kill, which will never be a possibility for him, but certainly to disturb the cities. Make them fall into chaos. The next part of his plan is no secret. You’ve assumed I’m sure that he intends to carry out a full scale military attack on the syndicate.” I stopped her.

                “Listen, I understand that hurting innocent people is wrong. Even if they are members of the syndicate but it needs to be brought down. You’ve seen what they’ve been doing to people like me. They killed my friend. Nearly everyone here has lost someone.” Vayla nodded.

                “You’re exactly where I was a year ago. Sebastian was going to come and fetch you. But I started to think about it. He has the whole trust wrapped around his finger, look at the way he places people. All those around him are valuable assets, powerful people. See the way he disregards depreciators. I can tell you firsthand how he regards null people.”

                “Null people?” I asked.

                “Two kinds, ones who’ve lived under glass so long they can’t do magic anymore, and then there’s people like me, who can’t do magic at all.” She answered, smiling sadly, playing with the dirt on the ground absent mindedly.

                “You can’t do magic at all? But you’re still young, you’ve lived under glass, like me.” But Vayla shook her head.

                “Runs in the family, I’ve never felt a twinge, not even the slightest indication I might be able to do it. I believe in it though, we need it as a race. All this glass is unnatural. And I don’t envy those who burn.” She gazed down at my hands, bound with grubby white cotton. They still stung horribly.

                “I know you can’t see yet Ruth, how badly Sebastian’s enterprise will end, but you need to trust me, The Birch Trust are not good people. The only member of the table you can trust is Simon. The rest are puppets of Sebastian’s.” Simon’s face swum to the forefront of my mind.

                “If you’ve left...why hasn’t he?” I asked. Vayla shrugged lightly.

                “You’ll have to ask him that yourself. Listen,” She said turning to me directly. “You need to leave here of your own account, decide for yourself what you want to do. But know that forces are gathering outside these walls. These people also want to end the reign of the barehanders but do it for the right reasons. When you’re ready, call me, I’ll find you.”

                “How?” I asked. She extended out her hand, for a minute I wasn’t sure what she was about to do but then she touched the blade in my chest. It glowed white and came away easily from my skin. All that remained was an angry white scar, two inches long.

                “Touch it, say my name aloud and I will meet you the next dawn, by the old city gates.”

BELGHHHHHH WORK OUTTT>................. MAKE MORE AMBIGUOUS. Remember VAYLA IS AN AGENT. SHE KNOWS HOW TO BE DISCREET