Fantasy Big Bang - Tag
Title: "Tag" (part III)
Written for: fantasybigbang
Other: Ohmygod 3 parts. Part I (with all the info you need to know) and Part II
“Wishes an audience with us my ass!” Richard grumbled. He kicked at the bars of the cell and continued pacing. “All you wanted to do was to keep us under wraps!”
Kael looked up from where he was sitting on the cot, wringing his hands together in his lap. “Maybe... I can ask her to forgive me. And then we can just put this all behind us. I can be... returned to wherever. And the two of you can just return to how you were before.”
Penelope shook her head, leaning back against the wall and crossing her arms over her chest. “It's not that easy. It's not even been two weeks, and already a lot has changed for us. Things have... been put into a new perspective.”
Richard grasped the bars and rested his forehead against the cool metal. Nothing had changed for him, truth be told. In fact, many of his suspicions were confirmed. But that didn't make him feel any easier. “Do you think you need to be forgiven, Kael?” he asked.
He gave a weak smile, touching the red marks on his cheeks. “There's something about her... that whenever I am with Maasa I always feel like it is my fault. And even if I didn't do anything wrong, I need to apologize. I don't want to say that she was my only friend at the orphanage, but she was the person I was closest to. She was like a sister to me...”
Richard frowned at the use of the past tense. “Is she really that different? This Lady and your Maasa?”
Kael hesitated, then nodded. “She looks the same, and acts the same... but in the end I know she is a different person.” He touched his heart with one hand. “I can't explain it, but I know.”
Penelope suddenly stood up straighter, a determined look on her face. “That's enough.”
Richard glanced at Kael, who immediately withdrew into himself at her words. “You don't have to be so sharp about it,” he started, turning to scold her, but she was moving across the cell to grip the bars of the door. “Nelo?”
She gave the grate a violent shake, and, surprising the two in the cell with her, started to shout. “Hey! I demand to see someone! You can't just keep us in a cage. Hey! Anyone listening?” She gave the door another mighty shake and a kick for good measure.
As soon as the echoes of her voice died down, the sound of rattling armor and heavy foot-steps rose to take its place. Two guards approached the cell, holding loaded crossbows.
I guess Maasa sees us as quite a threat, Richard thought with wry amusement.
“What do you want?” one of the guards asked, smacking the butt of his crossbow against the bars to make her drop her grip.
“I wish to see the Lady Maasa,” Penelope said. “I would like to apologize for earlier, and then I request that you bring the two of them to see the Lady-” she jerked her thumb over her shoulder to indicate Kael and Richard- “so that they might seek her forgiveness as well. In case she's forgotten, please remind her that I was on a journey that she sent me on.” With that, Penelope stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest.
“What-” Richard started, a strangled sound escaping his mouth. “Penelope, what are you thinking-”
The guards were unlocking the door, and one reached in to grab Penelope by the shoulder.
She turned and gave Richard a pointed look as she passed. “I've told you not to call me that.”
Speechless, he watched as she was guided out of the cell and the door was locked shut once again. “I feel a little betrayed,” he finally said, turning back to Kael.
The boy was rubbing his head and wincing in pain. “It's just as well,” he muttered, letting his hands drop. “I don't care if it's really my fault or not - I mean, I'm quite sure I wasn't the one that physically nailed her to the tree, but I had let her out of my sight for a moment. And then-” His voice failed him and he forced himself to swallow. “I want to know that she forgives me for letting it happen...”
Richard let the words settle in before he heaved a weary sigh and moved to sit next to Kael. “Listen, you're a good kid. I don't know what might have happened to cause anyone to mess you up this badly, but your heart is in the right place.” He attempted a smile. “Demon or not.”
Kael attempted a smile of his own in return, but it fell just as soon as it formed. “I'm just so tired. Ever since Nelo, and the lake...” Again, his hands moved to claw weakly at his neck. “And ever since this morning, I've been hearing the voices from before. Calling me a liar and a demon.” He covered his face, body shuddering as he tried to steady his breathing. “They won't stop and I can't help but wonder if they're telling the truth.”
Richard reached out and draped one arm around the boy's shoulders in a reassuring manner. “Hey.” He gave the boy a gentle shake and waited until he looked up. “Don't doubt yourself. Not even for a second.”
Kael thought about it for a moment, then nodded. The ghost of a real smile flitted across his face.
“Good. Now, I don't know what Penelope is up to, but I'll get you out of here.”
Kael's smile was stronger this time, but there was something sad about it. “This is really bothering you, isn't it?”
“What is?”
“Nelo. Saying that you'll go and ask Maasa for forgiveness.”
Richard snorted, leaning back against the wall. “You're not wrong, but what makes you say that?”
“Well, you like her, don't you?” Kael looked away, embarrassed. “You try to act like the big brother, protecting and scolding her as needed, but... It's kind of obvious that it's more than that.”
Richard let the silence draw out, mulling over Kael's words a few times before he chuckled. “I've got three younger siblings at home. Haven't seen them in... almost two years. Since I was injured. I was Nelo's instructor when she first became a cleric, so I always thought I was looking out for her because of some sort of loyalty to that old connection...” He laughed again, running his fingers back through his hair. “After everything, though, I don't think she'd have me.”
“She's changing because of you,” Kael said. “I mean, I've only been around for a short time, but even I can see that.”
He furrowed his brow, contemplating a response. But before he could formulate a decent one, the guard from earlier was at the door to the cell - the ring of keys in his hand.
“Get up. Miss Penelope and Lady Maasa wish to speak with the two of you.” He held the door open and stood aside.
Exchanging glances, Richard and Kael rose to their feet and stepped into the hall. Shrugging off the guard's guiding hand, Richard led the way from the holding cells, up a flight of stairs, and into the main building of the church. Once they were outside the doors to the inner sanctuary, he turned and put a protective hand on Kael's shoulder. “The two of us will proceed alone from here. I do believe Miss Penelope requested that just the two of us come.”
The guard looked uneasy, but he saluted all the same and watched as the two passed through the double doors.
Penelope looked up as the doors swung shut behind the. She was sitting at the foot of the dais, Maasa's head resting in her lap. The girl looked like she was sleeping, which was odd all things considered. Hadn't she wanted to see them?
“Keep your voices down,” Penelope said. Her face was a mix of emotions, but determination was the strongest.
Kael reacted first, running down the length of the aisle and falling to his knees in front of the women. “Maasa!” he cried, ignoring Penelope's hush!. “What did you do to her?”
Richard fell back against the doors, eyes wide as he watched the scene on the other side of the sanctuary. He hadn't known what he had been expecting, but he certainly hadn't been expecting anything like that.
“I just put her to sleep.” Penelope reached out and touched Kael's head with the tips of her fingers. “It won't hurt her, don't worry.”
He furrowed his brow and shook his head. “Will she wake up?”
She shrugged. “Eventually, I'm sure, though I think it will be better if she stays asleep. I used the same spell on her that she used on you to seal you beneath the lake.”
Richard made his own way down the aisle, a bit slower than Kael's trip had been. “Nelo... why-”
Penelope turned her sharp gaze to him. “She's not who we were lead to believe she is.”
“I could have told you that,” Richard snapped, but she waved a hand to silence him.
“I don't have time to explain. We have to get out of here before the guards get suspicious. Kael, are you going to be all right?”
The boy opened his mouth, staring curiously at Maasa's sleeping face. “I... I think this is for the best. Nelo's right. We should go.” Before rising unsteadily to his feet, Kael pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Sleep well, Maasa.”
When he turned to look back at Richard, there was a fresh determination in his eyes. “I want to be taken back to the lake.”
Nelo clambered to her feet as well, laying Maasa out gently on the bottom stair. “Why would you want that?”
“When I was sealed away there originally, Maasa claims to have remembered everything that happened before. I don't know if it will move us on to the next stage as you might believe, but I do think that we'll be brought together again.” Kael's hands clenched into fists at his side. “I need to know what the truth is, but I can't do it while she's playing your goddess.”
With a guilty look on her face, Nelo glanced back down at the girl before closing her eyes and letting out a sigh. “You're right. Richard, is it too much to ask for you to round up some horses for us? We can't afford to be entirely too discreet now, and we must make it there before they catch up to us.”
Richard shook his head, but he was laughing despite himself. “Look at what has gotten into you, Nelo. Agreeing with a demon and putting the Lady under an enchanted sleep.”
“Now would be a good time to get moving.”
“Aye, I'm on it.” He rounded the dais and headed for one of the half-open doors in the back. “Meet me in twenty minutes. You know where.” Penelope nodded, and Richard took off down the hall at a jog. He had to admit that he honestly wasn't too sure what was going on, but he trusted Penelope and Kael enough to listen to what they decided.
They made it back to the lake in just over two days, riding hard all day and even long into the night. Kael switched between riding with Nelo and Richard, and would occasionally sleep in the saddle. Despite his attempts to appear in control, he was feeling more and more exhausted every hour.
By the time they actually made it to the lake, he could hardly stand up for more than ten minutes at a time. But by the time he started to waver, they'd bundle him right back onto the horse and be off again.
He sat on the edge of the lake, knees drawn up against his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs.
Richard came and sat next to him. “Are you sure about this?”
He smiled and shook his head. “I can't be too sure about anything now. But I think it's the best idea...”
Richard watched her for a few seconds before turning his attention back to Kael. “You should stay. We'll find a way to heal you. Your presence alone began to raise questions in the stories of the Lady, and after spending the week with you, I began to get answers I had always been looking for.” He leaned back on his hands and looked out at the lake.
Nelo stood in the shallows, her eyes closed and lips moving in silent prayer.
“We can travel the country,” Richard said suddenly. He waved his hands before him to encompass the scene, then gestured up at the sky. “You and me, Kael. We'll reveal the truth about the Lady Maasa and help explain the truth to the people who are confused like I was.”
Kael didn't reply at first, taking his time enjoying the idea before he shook his head. “I can't do that.” With a gentle grunt, he stumbled to his feet and stretched.
“But-”
“It's a tempting idea,” Kael admitted. He didn't look down at Richard, keeping his gaze focused on the middle of the lake. “I don't have much to go back to, except for an orphanage and more chores than I will be able to handle. And before me... Well, once I'm sealed away I suppose I won't notice how long I'm asleep until I wake up again, and then it will seem like no more than twenty minutes at most.”
“Then why not?”
Finally, Kael looked at the man. “So many people believe in Maasa and her church. The stories might be lies, but there are people who don't rely so much on the content of the stories. They look for the support of the church and the comfort that Maasa brings to them. Besides...” He chuckled at a private thought. “Maasa has always been a bit of a spoiled girl. She was the favorite of Sister Margret and the other attendants at the orphanage. All she really wants is just attention. I couldn't take that away from her.” He gave Richard a reassuring smile.
“Are you ready?” Nelo called from her spot in the water.
Kael held out his hand to Richard. “Thank you. For trusting me.”
Richard studied the hand in silence before reaching out with his own and clasping it warmly. “And to you, Kael. Best of luck to you.”
He squeezed the hand briefly, then pulled back and hurried down the shore and in to the water. He took his spot in the middle of the lake, watching the water slosh around his knees.
“Kael...” Nelo started, her voice faltering.
He glanced up, giving her a smile as well.
She pulled off the pendant that she wore and held it out. “Take this.”
Hesitating for a moment, Kael stepped forward and took the cord from her fingers. “Thank you.”
Nelo nodded once and drew her hand back. “You might want to sit down.”
Kael slipped the pendant on around his neck, letting the weight settle against his chest, before he settled down into a comfortable sitting position. “Goodbye,” he said, and closed his eyes.
Nelo was surprised at how much her hands were shaking. As soon as she started the prayer, Kael had started gasping for breath. One hand clutched at his chest, grabbing the pendant as if for comfort and the other hand going to his throat. But he kept his eyes closed.
Halfway through, he fell back into the water, thrashing about in the shallows and giving a strangled shout in pain. She almost stopped then, but she steeled her nerves and kept on reciting.
And then, once she finished, Kael lay still once again. The water settled over his form and seemed to swallow any trace of him.
“Nelo...?” Richard ventured. “What's happened?”
“He's gone,” she whispered. “Like before... he's not there...” Nelo could feel her legs wavering beneath her, but before they could give out Richard was there beside her and pulled her in for a tight hug. “I killed him... He was drowning...”
Richard shushed her, smoothing a hand over her hair in a comforting motion. “I'm sure he knew what was going to happen. You had no other choice.”
“But with Lady Maasa... she just fell asleep. I thought it was going to be the same.” Nelo rested her forehead against his shoulder and steadied her breath.
“It's what he wanted,” Richard insisted and she nodded.
“I know,” Nelo replied, looking up at him. “But that won't stop me from feeling guilty about it.”
Kael awoke with a sputtering cough. He spit out a mouthful of water and coughed again. When his vision cleared, he saw the dark blue of the lake water surrounding him. “Nelo?!” he shouted, twisting around towards the shore behind him.
But instead of Nelo and Richard, there was the dense forest hugging the edge of sand. It took his brain a few seconds to realise that it was the forest that bordered the orphanage.
“It worked...?” Kael muttered.
“Kael...?”
He whipped around so quickly that he hurt his neck. But he didn't even take the time to rub the sore muscle as he scrambled to his feet and hurried toward the opposite shore.
Maasa stood just out of reach of the water, a guilty look on her face and tears threatening to spill from the corners of her eyes. She was wearing the familiar dress from the orphanage. In fact, she looked just as she did when they first found their way to the lake. She held her arms out towards him, and he crashed into her.
“Maasa, you're okay,” he gasped, enveloping her in a sopping wet hug.
“I'm sorry,” she sobbed in reply, burring her face into his chest. “After everything, and you still were so nice to me.”
Kael smiled, though he didn't let his grip slack any. “You're my best friend, Maasa. What kind of person would I be if I couldn't forgive you for that?” She went still in his arms, the sounds of her sobs softening to sniffles. “Do you forgive me?”
She nodded, keeping her face hidden.
“Let's go home, Maasa.”
Written for: fantasybigbang
Other: Ohmygod 3 parts. Part I (with all the info you need to know) and Part II
“Wishes an audience with us my ass!” Richard grumbled. He kicked at the bars of the cell and continued pacing. “All you wanted to do was to keep us under wraps!”
Kael looked up from where he was sitting on the cot, wringing his hands together in his lap. “Maybe... I can ask her to forgive me. And then we can just put this all behind us. I can be... returned to wherever. And the two of you can just return to how you were before.”
Penelope shook her head, leaning back against the wall and crossing her arms over her chest. “It's not that easy. It's not even been two weeks, and already a lot has changed for us. Things have... been put into a new perspective.”
Richard grasped the bars and rested his forehead against the cool metal. Nothing had changed for him, truth be told. In fact, many of his suspicions were confirmed. But that didn't make him feel any easier. “Do you think you need to be forgiven, Kael?” he asked.
He gave a weak smile, touching the red marks on his cheeks. “There's something about her... that whenever I am with Maasa I always feel like it is my fault. And even if I didn't do anything wrong, I need to apologize. I don't want to say that she was my only friend at the orphanage, but she was the person I was closest to. She was like a sister to me...”
Richard frowned at the use of the past tense. “Is she really that different? This Lady and your Maasa?”
Kael hesitated, then nodded. “She looks the same, and acts the same... but in the end I know she is a different person.” He touched his heart with one hand. “I can't explain it, but I know.”
Penelope suddenly stood up straighter, a determined look on her face. “That's enough.”
Richard glanced at Kael, who immediately withdrew into himself at her words. “You don't have to be so sharp about it,” he started, turning to scold her, but she was moving across the cell to grip the bars of the door. “Nelo?”
She gave the grate a violent shake, and, surprising the two in the cell with her, started to shout. “Hey! I demand to see someone! You can't just keep us in a cage. Hey! Anyone listening?” She gave the door another mighty shake and a kick for good measure.
As soon as the echoes of her voice died down, the sound of rattling armor and heavy foot-steps rose to take its place. Two guards approached the cell, holding loaded crossbows.
I guess Maasa sees us as quite a threat, Richard thought with wry amusement.
“What do you want?” one of the guards asked, smacking the butt of his crossbow against the bars to make her drop her grip.
“I wish to see the Lady Maasa,” Penelope said. “I would like to apologize for earlier, and then I request that you bring the two of them to see the Lady-” she jerked her thumb over her shoulder to indicate Kael and Richard- “so that they might seek her forgiveness as well. In case she's forgotten, please remind her that I was on a journey that she sent me on.” With that, Penelope stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest.
“What-” Richard started, a strangled sound escaping his mouth. “Penelope, what are you thinking-”
The guards were unlocking the door, and one reached in to grab Penelope by the shoulder.
She turned and gave Richard a pointed look as she passed. “I've told you not to call me that.”
Speechless, he watched as she was guided out of the cell and the door was locked shut once again. “I feel a little betrayed,” he finally said, turning back to Kael.
The boy was rubbing his head and wincing in pain. “It's just as well,” he muttered, letting his hands drop. “I don't care if it's really my fault or not - I mean, I'm quite sure I wasn't the one that physically nailed her to the tree, but I had let her out of my sight for a moment. And then-” His voice failed him and he forced himself to swallow. “I want to know that she forgives me for letting it happen...”
Richard let the words settle in before he heaved a weary sigh and moved to sit next to Kael. “Listen, you're a good kid. I don't know what might have happened to cause anyone to mess you up this badly, but your heart is in the right place.” He attempted a smile. “Demon or not.”
Kael attempted a smile of his own in return, but it fell just as soon as it formed. “I'm just so tired. Ever since Nelo, and the lake...” Again, his hands moved to claw weakly at his neck. “And ever since this morning, I've been hearing the voices from before. Calling me a liar and a demon.” He covered his face, body shuddering as he tried to steady his breathing. “They won't stop and I can't help but wonder if they're telling the truth.”
Richard reached out and draped one arm around the boy's shoulders in a reassuring manner. “Hey.” He gave the boy a gentle shake and waited until he looked up. “Don't doubt yourself. Not even for a second.”
Kael thought about it for a moment, then nodded. The ghost of a real smile flitted across his face.
“Good. Now, I don't know what Penelope is up to, but I'll get you out of here.”
Kael's smile was stronger this time, but there was something sad about it. “This is really bothering you, isn't it?”
“What is?”
“Nelo. Saying that you'll go and ask Maasa for forgiveness.”
Richard snorted, leaning back against the wall. “You're not wrong, but what makes you say that?”
“Well, you like her, don't you?” Kael looked away, embarrassed. “You try to act like the big brother, protecting and scolding her as needed, but... It's kind of obvious that it's more than that.”
Richard let the silence draw out, mulling over Kael's words a few times before he chuckled. “I've got three younger siblings at home. Haven't seen them in... almost two years. Since I was injured. I was Nelo's instructor when she first became a cleric, so I always thought I was looking out for her because of some sort of loyalty to that old connection...” He laughed again, running his fingers back through his hair. “After everything, though, I don't think she'd have me.”
“She's changing because of you,” Kael said. “I mean, I've only been around for a short time, but even I can see that.”
He furrowed his brow, contemplating a response. But before he could formulate a decent one, the guard from earlier was at the door to the cell - the ring of keys in his hand.
“Get up. Miss Penelope and Lady Maasa wish to speak with the two of you.” He held the door open and stood aside.
Exchanging glances, Richard and Kael rose to their feet and stepped into the hall. Shrugging off the guard's guiding hand, Richard led the way from the holding cells, up a flight of stairs, and into the main building of the church. Once they were outside the doors to the inner sanctuary, he turned and put a protective hand on Kael's shoulder. “The two of us will proceed alone from here. I do believe Miss Penelope requested that just the two of us come.”
The guard looked uneasy, but he saluted all the same and watched as the two passed through the double doors.
Penelope looked up as the doors swung shut behind the. She was sitting at the foot of the dais, Maasa's head resting in her lap. The girl looked like she was sleeping, which was odd all things considered. Hadn't she wanted to see them?
“Keep your voices down,” Penelope said. Her face was a mix of emotions, but determination was the strongest.
Kael reacted first, running down the length of the aisle and falling to his knees in front of the women. “Maasa!” he cried, ignoring Penelope's hush!. “What did you do to her?”
Richard fell back against the doors, eyes wide as he watched the scene on the other side of the sanctuary. He hadn't known what he had been expecting, but he certainly hadn't been expecting anything like that.
“I just put her to sleep.” Penelope reached out and touched Kael's head with the tips of her fingers. “It won't hurt her, don't worry.”
He furrowed his brow and shook his head. “Will she wake up?”
She shrugged. “Eventually, I'm sure, though I think it will be better if she stays asleep. I used the same spell on her that she used on you to seal you beneath the lake.”
Richard made his own way down the aisle, a bit slower than Kael's trip had been. “Nelo... why-”
Penelope turned her sharp gaze to him. “She's not who we were lead to believe she is.”
“I could have told you that,” Richard snapped, but she waved a hand to silence him.
“I don't have time to explain. We have to get out of here before the guards get suspicious. Kael, are you going to be all right?”
The boy opened his mouth, staring curiously at Maasa's sleeping face. “I... I think this is for the best. Nelo's right. We should go.” Before rising unsteadily to his feet, Kael pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Sleep well, Maasa.”
When he turned to look back at Richard, there was a fresh determination in his eyes. “I want to be taken back to the lake.”
Nelo clambered to her feet as well, laying Maasa out gently on the bottom stair. “Why would you want that?”
“When I was sealed away there originally, Maasa claims to have remembered everything that happened before. I don't know if it will move us on to the next stage as you might believe, but I do think that we'll be brought together again.” Kael's hands clenched into fists at his side. “I need to know what the truth is, but I can't do it while she's playing your goddess.”
With a guilty look on her face, Nelo glanced back down at the girl before closing her eyes and letting out a sigh. “You're right. Richard, is it too much to ask for you to round up some horses for us? We can't afford to be entirely too discreet now, and we must make it there before they catch up to us.”
Richard shook his head, but he was laughing despite himself. “Look at what has gotten into you, Nelo. Agreeing with a demon and putting the Lady under an enchanted sleep.”
“Now would be a good time to get moving.”
“Aye, I'm on it.” He rounded the dais and headed for one of the half-open doors in the back. “Meet me in twenty minutes. You know where.” Penelope nodded, and Richard took off down the hall at a jog. He had to admit that he honestly wasn't too sure what was going on, but he trusted Penelope and Kael enough to listen to what they decided.
They made it back to the lake in just over two days, riding hard all day and even long into the night. Kael switched between riding with Nelo and Richard, and would occasionally sleep in the saddle. Despite his attempts to appear in control, he was feeling more and more exhausted every hour.
By the time they actually made it to the lake, he could hardly stand up for more than ten minutes at a time. But by the time he started to waver, they'd bundle him right back onto the horse and be off again.
He sat on the edge of the lake, knees drawn up against his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs.
Richard came and sat next to him. “Are you sure about this?”
He smiled and shook his head. “I can't be too sure about anything now. But I think it's the best idea...”
Richard watched her for a few seconds before turning his attention back to Kael. “You should stay. We'll find a way to heal you. Your presence alone began to raise questions in the stories of the Lady, and after spending the week with you, I began to get answers I had always been looking for.” He leaned back on his hands and looked out at the lake.
Nelo stood in the shallows, her eyes closed and lips moving in silent prayer.
“We can travel the country,” Richard said suddenly. He waved his hands before him to encompass the scene, then gestured up at the sky. “You and me, Kael. We'll reveal the truth about the Lady Maasa and help explain the truth to the people who are confused like I was.”
Kael didn't reply at first, taking his time enjoying the idea before he shook his head. “I can't do that.” With a gentle grunt, he stumbled to his feet and stretched.
“But-”
“It's a tempting idea,” Kael admitted. He didn't look down at Richard, keeping his gaze focused on the middle of the lake. “I don't have much to go back to, except for an orphanage and more chores than I will be able to handle. And before me... Well, once I'm sealed away I suppose I won't notice how long I'm asleep until I wake up again, and then it will seem like no more than twenty minutes at most.”
“Then why not?”
Finally, Kael looked at the man. “So many people believe in Maasa and her church. The stories might be lies, but there are people who don't rely so much on the content of the stories. They look for the support of the church and the comfort that Maasa brings to them. Besides...” He chuckled at a private thought. “Maasa has always been a bit of a spoiled girl. She was the favorite of Sister Margret and the other attendants at the orphanage. All she really wants is just attention. I couldn't take that away from her.” He gave Richard a reassuring smile.
“Are you ready?” Nelo called from her spot in the water.
Kael held out his hand to Richard. “Thank you. For trusting me.”
Richard studied the hand in silence before reaching out with his own and clasping it warmly. “And to you, Kael. Best of luck to you.”
He squeezed the hand briefly, then pulled back and hurried down the shore and in to the water. He took his spot in the middle of the lake, watching the water slosh around his knees.
“Kael...” Nelo started, her voice faltering.
He glanced up, giving her a smile as well.
She pulled off the pendant that she wore and held it out. “Take this.”
Hesitating for a moment, Kael stepped forward and took the cord from her fingers. “Thank you.”
Nelo nodded once and drew her hand back. “You might want to sit down.”
Kael slipped the pendant on around his neck, letting the weight settle against his chest, before he settled down into a comfortable sitting position. “Goodbye,” he said, and closed his eyes.
Nelo was surprised at how much her hands were shaking. As soon as she started the prayer, Kael had started gasping for breath. One hand clutched at his chest, grabbing the pendant as if for comfort and the other hand going to his throat. But he kept his eyes closed.
Halfway through, he fell back into the water, thrashing about in the shallows and giving a strangled shout in pain. She almost stopped then, but she steeled her nerves and kept on reciting.
And then, once she finished, Kael lay still once again. The water settled over his form and seemed to swallow any trace of him.
“Nelo...?” Richard ventured. “What's happened?”
“He's gone,” she whispered. “Like before... he's not there...” Nelo could feel her legs wavering beneath her, but before they could give out Richard was there beside her and pulled her in for a tight hug. “I killed him... He was drowning...”
Richard shushed her, smoothing a hand over her hair in a comforting motion. “I'm sure he knew what was going to happen. You had no other choice.”
“But with Lady Maasa... she just fell asleep. I thought it was going to be the same.” Nelo rested her forehead against his shoulder and steadied her breath.
“It's what he wanted,” Richard insisted and she nodded.
“I know,” Nelo replied, looking up at him. “But that won't stop me from feeling guilty about it.”
Kael awoke with a sputtering cough. He spit out a mouthful of water and coughed again. When his vision cleared, he saw the dark blue of the lake water surrounding him. “Nelo?!” he shouted, twisting around towards the shore behind him.
But instead of Nelo and Richard, there was the dense forest hugging the edge of sand. It took his brain a few seconds to realise that it was the forest that bordered the orphanage.
“It worked...?” Kael muttered.
“Kael...?”
He whipped around so quickly that he hurt his neck. But he didn't even take the time to rub the sore muscle as he scrambled to his feet and hurried toward the opposite shore.
Maasa stood just out of reach of the water, a guilty look on her face and tears threatening to spill from the corners of her eyes. She was wearing the familiar dress from the orphanage. In fact, she looked just as she did when they first found their way to the lake. She held her arms out towards him, and he crashed into her.
“Maasa, you're okay,” he gasped, enveloping her in a sopping wet hug.
“I'm sorry,” she sobbed in reply, burring her face into his chest. “After everything, and you still were so nice to me.”
Kael smiled, though he didn't let his grip slack any. “You're my best friend, Maasa. What kind of person would I be if I couldn't forgive you for that?” She went still in his arms, the sounds of her sobs softening to sniffles. “Do you forgive me?”
She nodded, keeping her face hidden.
“Let's go home, Maasa.”