Sanctuary Path
Gavotte smiled down at Xia, although he didn't understand why she seemed to hate Regina so much. Olivia was reassuring the girl. There was nothing wrong about that. It seemed like Xia and Jen had a personal vendetta against Regina. Maybe they had met each other in the past. Gavotte felt wrong about judging any of the girls. He had never understood girl drama.
"I can't pick her up by myself," He explained to Silas calmly. He placed his hands under Xia's arms so he could lift her. "Can you get her feet, Silas? I'm sure we can carry her together."
If her hands hadn't been full, Timpani would have... what? Patted him on the back or something. She did enjoy Mayne's company. He didn't tick her off like almost everyone else.
"You're no bother. I like having you around," She told him honestly. If she didn't want him around, she wouldn't be talking to him right now. Just like how she was refusing to speak to both Gwen and Cadence. Timpani was furious she had not received one 'thank you' for carrying them.
She kept walking all the way back to the Sanctuary, and then she put Gwen and Cadence in the grass. The mayor was passed out, and the kid had amnesia, but Timpani didn't even care. She was thoroughly fed up with both of them and their attitude. Without checking to see if Mayne was following, she walked to the river and waded in. That was the difference between her family and the Adamsons. Timpani loved water. It calmed her temper even when she was about to explode at someone. When her rage was at its worst, she would fill a bathtub of cold water and lie in there, just floating.
She was tall and wearing shorts, so she wasn't getting her clothes wet. Timpani wasn't going to swim around right now. She just wanted to stand in the water until she calmed down and didn't want to punch everyone.
---
The Sanctuary
Cilan was out of breath when he finally reached the Sanctuary. It was a surprise that he didn't fall over when Luno went to tackle-hug him. The boy leaned into his father's embrace breathlessly, still panting and gasping. He was more out of shape now than ever. He wondered why.
"You're Solara's son, silly!" Luno giggled and leaned up, then flicked him on the nose. "Rowan borrowed off her power, but he took from your energy too, because you were the closest."
Oh. For a second Cilan had forgotten his father could read his mind.
"Silly boy," Luno chuckled and kissed him on the cheek before pulling away. "Run off and play!"
Cilan was about to protest against more running, but Luno smiled.
"Oh, Cilan... when do you ever obey orders directly? I know you're not going to run."
With a laugh, Cilan literally lay down on the ground and stayed there, flat on his back. "You're right about that. I think I'll just lie here all night."
Luno looked up at the darkened skies and laughed. Cilan knew the curse wasn't going away anytime soon, and certainly Luno knew that as well. The King started walking away, still chuckling to himself.
"It's going to be a long night."
"Yeah, probably." Cilan agreed, and allowed his eyes to close. Just before they slid shut, he noticed he was glowing. He was aware of a faint sense of drifting, and then nothing.
Rowan could feel Lily's presence as she teleported wildly. One moment she was beside him, the next second she was gone. It worried him greatly, especially since he could literally see the anxiety radiating off her. Rowan wanted to ask if she was alright, or give her a hug, but then she was atop the roof.
Maybe she wanted to be alone right now. As much as Rowan hated leaving her this way, the injured would be arriving soon. He had sensed contempt from one of the other boys, Andy. He didn't seem to be fond of Rowan's family- either he had been angry with Solara, or with Rowan himself. In that case, Rowan would just need to work harder. He had a feeling people were getting frustrated with his emotional incompetence.
He wished things were not this way, but sometimes he didn't know what to do.
Solara only nodded silently as Flynn left her arms. She watched him exit the room, though her eyes were still closed. He did remind her of his parents. Kelly and Ben... Solara missed them dearly. They had worked alongside the Celestial Couple, before Alastair upset the balance of power. Solara had tried to protect them, but she arrived too late.
Only because Alastair made sure to kill all the TT employees in the area before attacking. You couldn't leave the beach, Luno told her insistently. TT stood for Teleportation Transportation, the main method of public transit before Alastair purposely persecuted and slaughtered all the employees. Few people remained with a teleportation power now. They were all young people, so Alastair didn't bother to conduct any more hunts.
... I could have arrived sooner... but that would mean using force to clear a path. And leaving the others. She had always contemplated the night she let her closest friends down. She had found an entire village of refugees isolated on the beach, some wounded, all in varying states of horror as they were slowly forced towards the ocean by Alastair's soldiers. Solara had dealt with the violence, but it had taken her considerable time. She was always trying to prevent collateral damage. She would rather set a thousand guilty felons free, rather than let a single innocent person suffer.
You just didn't want to hurt anyone, Luno said. "You wouldn't have made it in time even if you cleared everyone in your path. You would have needed to teleport to reach them that quickly."
He was standing in the doorway now, looking at her with concern.
"... Luno?"
He took a step forward. "Shh. Listen to your own instinct."
Solara hadn't even noticed. The cry for help was so far away. Only with Luno's reminder did she hear the boy's faint voice, calling her name. Someone needed her right now.
Luno was already pulling his dagger out of his belt. "He's in the Capital City, on the streets. You can find him from there. You can go to Clock Tower from Celestial Tower."
"... I understand."
With that, she slowly knelt on the floor. Luno walked around her so he was almost hugging her from behind, with the cool blade pressed against her throat. He took a quick glance around, making sure none of the teenagers were nearby. They would still see the flash of light from the windows, but it wouldn't blind them temporarily. Being in the same room as Solara during any stage of the revival process- dying or returning- would be incredibly painful for the eyes unless precautions were taken.
"Don't worry," Luno whispered, "I always take precautions."
Quickly and expertly, he moved the blade, and her vision faded into the warm light that consumed her.
---
Parliament Building
Alastair scrutinized Virisia closely. It kept on irritating him that she lost an eye. He would never forgive those dastardly teenagers for scarring her beautiful demon face. She was more attractive than any human female, because she was so different from them. If only Alastair wasn't stuck with Atalanta, that little squeaking soprano.
That pathetic little wimp wouldn't do anything. She never stood up for herself. She was just
there."I require a hug," Alastair said commandingly. "It is an order-"
Just then, Yina burst in with the most unexpected people. It seemed to be painful family reunion day for him. First Cyrena, now Cyprian. His wayward son had come back to him.
"Cyprian...?"
"Dad! I'm so glad to see you." Cyprian ran forward, dodging around Yina and running up to the throne. He threw his arms around Alastair. The King was completely bewildered at first, but then he relaxed and hugged his son back.
"Where were you?" Alastair growled, abruptly letting go after a minute.
"Spying. Couldn't tell you, because I saw the group leaving. If I didn't run, I would lose them. Almost lost them anyway." Cyprian scowled and looked at the ground. He cast a quick gaze at Jaai, who had always been one of Alastair's favored students.
"What did you find out?" Alastair demanded.
"We know a great deal about their leader. Did you know he's shorter than his mother?" Cyprian said. "I called him Ant Boy, but his real name is Cilantro Adamson. Everyone calls him Cilan. He has dark-ish skin and black hair that sticks up. He must have light powers, because I saw him glowing once. Bet he's like Ben Soare."
"Stalling for time." Alastair took a step forward threateningly. "Got anything on Solara?"
"No. I'd know if I saw a giant woman who's taller than you, dad." Cyprian laughed.
Alastair was about to kick him across the room, when he realized Solara was bound to have returned
before Cyprian would have met her, since Cyprian needed enough time to turn back, and return to the Capital City. Solara would probably have immediately found the journeyers. She wouldn't waste her time seeking out two strays. Alastair knew her. She would pretend to be all compassionate, but really she just wanted people for their usefulness. She would kill anyone who wasn't useful to her cause, Alastair was sure.
"Why did you not destroy her son?" Alastair asked him.
"Everyone was always around him. Besides, he knew the way to the Sanctuary. I was waiting for him to lure us there. We turned around and came back when they started stalling. Cilan's boyfriend, that blonde Erion Lendell, slows everyone down."
"Not a true man," Alastair muttered. "Now shut your mouth. You talk slower than Solara on Umbralace tea."
Cyprian looked like he was about to ask what that was, but he didn't say anything. What an idiot. He should have known about Luno's poisonous flower.
"Jaai, report," Alastair told her sharply. His patience was limited with kids. It was why he made such a terrible father. Even he would admit that about himself.
And Cyrena would certainly agree.
---
Celestial Tower
The idiotic boy was kicked awake by a small foot. "Not again. When do you ever learn your lesson?" A sharp, grating voice piped in his ear. Cilan opened his eyes with a groan. It was Clotilda. Thankfully, this wasn't the Underworld. Cilan had visited there last time, and it hadn't been pleasant.
"You are constantly dying in stupid ways, and I'm getting sick of it!" Clotilda snapped. "As punishment, we're going to watch your childhood memories."
He blinked to clear his blurry vision. They were sitting in a living room with a television screen. Clove had very obviously engineered the remote control to have superpowers.
"Jonah did it, actually." Clotilda laughed. Somehow she had read his mind just like Luno. "He infused it with his dream power so it shows your memories on the screen. You ready for a classic Princess Cilan episode?"
Jonah was probably nearby, enjoying this. Cilan knew those schemers were always together, and always up to something. Death could never stop them from conducting their deeds.
"Please, Clove," Cilan begged. "I'll do anything. Just no embarrassing movie!"
This fueled Clotilda's amusement, and she cackled evilly as she turned on the television.
"Save me from the big bad wolf!" The boy screamed as he ran across the grassy field. The meadow grass was so comfortable that no carpet could rival its plush, green softness. This was the backyard of the Parliament building in all its former glory. The gentle glow of the sun shone overhead, caressing the land with warmth and light.
"I'm going to eat you alive!" Screeched a high, malicious voice. Ten-year-old Clotilda was chasing six-year-old Cilantro through the vast garden. Flowers and shrubs shrank from her presence, seeming to disapprove as she disturbed their peace. But Cilan was loudest of all, screaming with mock horror as he crashed through the grass. Wherever he crushed a blade underneath his feet, the sunlight would reach out and stand it right back up. Not a single clover, flower, or blade of grass was allowed to come to harm. Cilan had never realized this back then. Only now did he see how much Solara cared for her garden. Clotilda and Cilantro were not her only children in the backyard. She dearly loved every plant, even the lowliest thorny weed.
"My knight! Where is my royal guard?" Cilan called out in his shrill, panicked voice. "Aah! I'm going to turn into dog food! Please save me!"
Clove tackled him from behind with a laugh. "It's too late for you, bird boy! Too bad for you, I love roast chicken!"
"Noooo!" Cilan squealed, thrashing around as Clotilda pinned him down.
She let out a yawn. "Where's your pretty knight, little brother?"
"This is so embarrassing." Cilan kept trying to hide, but Clotilda would just drag his face out of the cushions. She was obviously enjoying this, laughing her head off.
"This is great!"
"You're the only one who finds it funny, shrimp!"
"Did you just call me a shrimp?!" Immediately, she grabbed a handful of his hair and started pulling. "You know, mom just came here and left. Not in this room, but at the top of the tower. I wonder what she's doing." She was just all casual, even as she yanked his hair like a little demon.
Cilan was definitely not casual. "Ow ow ow!"---
Clock Tower
Ivana chuckled and allowed Amber to drag her along. "I will see you soon," She told the boys before she disappeared out the doorway. Those were two of the more fun security guards. Darius was only fun to electrocute. Ivana honestly loved the look on his face whenever she zapped him. A mix of bewilderment and horror.
"I can't wait to hear these theories," She told Amber as she stepped up the stairs.
When they entered the living quarters, she was actually out of breath from the stairs. Ivana was wearing high heels and a dress as she always was. This made it significantly harder to climb the stairs without getting anything dirty, since she also loved to wear white. It was a liability in the Clock Tower. But Ivana loved to dress like an heiress. She wanted everyone to know who she was. Who she would one day become.
"Hello, father," She said, curtsying. She knew Adam loved when she did that as a gesture of politeness... just not to Adam himself. It was Ivana's little act of rebellion. Treating her father the same way she treated others. Not with the affection he expected from his eldest daughter and heiress.
"I'm glad to see you two. You're just in time for dinner. Come, sit down," Adam said with a slightly tired expression. He was just setting dinner on the kitchen table; the typical family dinner of rice, vegetables, and chicken tenders (Clair loved those). Audrey and Clair still weren't back. Probably they had gone out for dinner. Ivana didn't mind. She could do without Clair's incessant squealing and her mother babying the kid. Annoying sisters!
Just then, a scream punctuated the peace of the room.
"Clair!" Ivana shouted, immediately opening the door. She was about to rush up further stairs to follow the noise, but she was met with Clair actually running down the stairs herself. With a scream, she hurled herself into her sister's arms. Ivana was so relieved she didn't care that Clair was getting the Clock Tower's filth all over her. They must have gone into the spare parts room near the very top of the tower.
"We were coming back, and we were almost at the door when I heard a noise from the top of the tower," Clair explained quickly. "Mommy and I went upstairs and guess who we found!"
"Who?" Ivana asked, and then Clair started screaming at the top of her lungs. She went and tackled her father and screamed some more. Ivana stayed out in the hallway and waited.
After a few moments, she noticed a great deal of light coming from above. Not soon after she saw this, Audrey came downstairs with the late Queen herself by her side.
So this was why Clair had been screaming.
Silently, Ivana curtsied to Solara before moving back into the room. She simply stared at her mother and the Queen as they entered, and Audrey closed the door behind them.
"... Sparky?" Solara said upon seeing Adam, who looked equally stunned.
"I have no idea," Adam breathed, "How we survived without you for four years. But here we are. And you're back."
"... I have to-"
"You have to stay with us!" Clair insisted.
Audrey smiled. "As the Timekeepers, we want to know as much as possible so we can keep Hesenia running."
"Please do stay," Adam asked humbly, lowering his head with a matching smile. "I'm..." He trailed off.
"Exhausted," Audrey scolded him. "Constantly in pain. It's so hard without the solar panels functioning."
"It isn't her fault," Adam said.
"I didn't mean it that way." Audrey turned to Solara with a smile. "Don't worry. It's just good you're back. Now sit down and eat dinner with us, I insist."
Solara simply stood there in silence, with no expression on her stern face.
Ivana looked at Amber. What were they going to do?
