In Keeping the Secrets [Open]

[Duvessa]

It was amazing how much mystery this place held even to this day. Despite seeing the portals herself several times it was magnificent each and every time. Such raw magical power was unheard of to the Fae, even the core of Yalanze was not as powerful as these tears in reality. It took something extra special to tame them, someone and Duvessa had trained her quite well in doing so. Unlike most non-fae, Merry was able to learn the crafts that Duvessa had to offer due to a dormant source of power that laid within. It was unheard of for a mage to even grasp the basics of fae magic due to it mostly being expression, casting your will upon the world around you. There was no technical jargon to deal with when it came to her power, it was magic in it's purest form.

Leaning against her staff, Duvessa watched as the energy in this place crackled threateningly. While it raged like a storm, it was being controlled by the ever watchful gaze of Commander Lovelace. From a small child in rags to the commander of the mage division. It was quite a leap and one that she never saw coming herself to be quite honest. If she had a choice in the matter she might have removed Merry from this place when she was strong enough to hold her own. Yet Merry grew to like it here and she was not able to force the girl to do anything she did not wish to do. Peeling a piece of bark off of her staff, she blew on it gently as it fluttered in the magical wind caused by her breath.

Onward it was carried, twisting and turning until it collided with the portals energy and burst into flames. She had no idea where such a piece of debris might have gone but it was no longer here. Even when they were not fully open the portals held the power to transmit things from one place to another. However it was pure chaos without the proper guidance, there were formulas to this despite most of them being unfinished. Even Merry had no idea where one portal began and where the other ended. She simply maintained them so that they did not grow like a black hole and devour the world within it's gaping maw.

"How much time you've stolen girly.." she breathed softly into the wind. She spoke to no one in particular, she simply sought to reflect on the reason she returned. Duvessa felt that her debt had long since been repaid, the deal had a glaring loop hole that she could have exploited. At first she had every intention of doing so once she tasted the power of the child. Now she felt that fading away every day, perhaps the trickster had grown some sort of heart after all? At least one small enough to hold love for one and contempt for most others.

[Merry Noelle Lovelace]

“It was never my intent.” Merry said softly with a smile as she opened her eyes and stepped forward to the ancient fae. Duvessa had been a mentor, friend and mother in the 20 years since she had come to the Brigade a ragged homeless witch with no prospects and family. She had been an anchor of sorts for Merry when everything had gone chaotic. Had seen her through the ups and downs of her relationship with Chris.

Her cobalt blue robes hugged her form gently as they billowed about her. Highlighting the chestnut color of her hair as she moved away from the portal and the energy that danced around the surrounding area. It crackled through her hair like a caress and she shrugged it off like one might snow on a winters day. “What can I do for you today?” she asked her old friend. “I have tea at my home if you wish. It’s quiet and you can relax if you wish.” It would also give them a chance to speak in private if they needed to.

It also would help Merry to relax, “The vampires have been increasing their attacks as of late but then suddenly there was a giant shift in power. I’m not sure what caused it but Sylthanus has gotten quiet lately. Word has it there is has been an exodus from the land but no one can say for sure because no one can survive there long enough to report back easily.” She said as she began to move forward. With the energies Merry dealt with she often felt energized and needed to rid herself of the magical excess by physical activity. Dust swirled past her and was sucked into the vortex as most anything that got too close to the portals. Many a mage had gotten a haircut accidentally by getting too close to the power of the portals.

[Duvessa]

To see her go from scared and confused to this was more than anyone could have asked for. Surely her parents in the after could see her now- if one believed in such things. Through all of the challenge with her timid nature being one of those, she managed to take in all of the training and make it to the top. Yet even as proud as she was with that accomplishment, Duvessa longed for her to simply come away with her. Staying here with the brigade while she was a target made it easier for her enemies to find her and they were plentiful. There was only so much she could do here to keep her safe from the rest of the world. Yet in the lands of Arnul, right under their nose, she could protect her charge from all who sought to misuse the portals.

There was a long pause as she let the question sink in. A smile spread across her lips as she turned to face Merry not, her green eyes glowing radiantly as they often did near magic. "Do I need a reason to come see you now?" she asked. Her tone suggested that she was hurt, yet she was sure that Merry knew better by now than to take her every word seriously. Almost everything she said was some sort of joke, test or trick. Never did she tire of taking the sight of Merry in all of her magi glory. The robe and this life suited her as much as she did not wish to admit it. Bellator was right to keep her here- even if Duv would never agree with that sentiment.

"Tea will do nicely." she replied in kind to the offer. When she first ventured here she never understood the sort of kindness that would give someone the desire to have guests. In her home she did everything she could to keep prying eyes away from where she laid her head at night. The people on this side of veil were quite strange- yet that was what made them interesting to her in the bigger picture. "I do have a few things you would benefit from hearing. I've been to the borders of Sylthanus, where the river divides it from Arnul." she finished. Merry would know that such news was never in their favor but it was necessary to bear it anyhow.

Duv could only nod as she confirmed what she feared had already reached her ears. "The dead have over turned the soil and risen. The whole of Sylthanus is on the move towards the fiery mountains." she explained. "After the dragons damaged some of Arnul, I chose to follow them away from the cursed woods. I could not see what they had taken but it must have been important for I have never heard the banshees wail as they did that day." she finished. Merry only knew of these nightmares from the safety of these walls but out there it was terrifying now.

"I fear there is a conflict brewing between two powers I have never felt before." she went on, gesturing towards the portals. "It may be necessary to try and use the portals to send them away." she suggested. There was a look of concern in the faeries eyes as she looked at Merry. Tilting her head to the side she sighed softly. "Once they finish with each other, surely the next logical step is to control your power and the brigade gets drawn into it all." she concluded. Duv would allow Merry to lead the two of them to her home, from there they might discuss a plan to keep her cloaked at the very least.

Wherever she lead, Duvessa would follow.

[Merry Noelle Lovelace]

A soft laugh met her question, “Of course not.” Merry said gently linking arms with her mentor. It helped that she had been able to rebuild her life in spite of all that had happened to her. It would never be as it was. She would always carry sorrow with her and in spite of all that she had gained it would never make up for the loss of her family.

It didn’t take long for Merry to take Duvessa to her residence. It was a large Tudor style home. Merry went to the kitchen and got the kettle of water heating on the fireplace as she prepped two cups for tea. Grabbing a jar she placed a few cookies on a plate for the two of them. “I’d be happy to hear it.” She said softly as she moved into a sitting room that looked out into her garden. The garden was full of squash right now and she needed to have someone harvest them for the Brigade stores.

Moving to a comfortable butcher block table she placed the tea set down and began to serve, “That does not bode well. Sylthanus is always on the verge of poisoning that river given that they can’t cross it easily.” She was careful to pour so that the tea did not splash and when it was ready she passed it to her mentor to sweeten and do what she liked with it.

For herself, Merry did a dollup of cream and a teaspoon of sugar. She was very careful not to overfill the cup and as she listened to Duvessa her mind ruminated on what the elder fae said. Her eyes blinked in surprise, “Why would they march to certain death? Dragon fire can all but obliterate them.” It was very confusing for her, “I know there have been assassination attempts on my life. Do you think the two are related in any way?” Merry didn’t like to think that there was a connection but one never knew when dealing with the undead.

The mention of the portals made her brow crinkle in worry, “I see the wisdom of your words but it is no easy thing you are asking. Even if I opened a portal there is no guarantee they would walk through it. I suppose I could open it under them, after all spacial mechanics don’t really apply to the portals but still, that seems like a very drastic step. Sending away two entire species of people to who knows were is a tall order.”

It bothered her that she might have to drive off two entire races of people. “Surely they can sort their troubles out without dragging the Brigade into it?” she asked the other woman hopefully. The idea of her friends being pulled into a world conflict made her stomach twist and she was glad the tea was helping to sooth it. Things were complicated enough as it was without adding a war on top of it all.

[Duvessa]

Every time she came to Merry's home she was amused by it. The woman who could have anything she wanted with magic like hers as she chose to live such a simple life. There was nothing wrong with the choice, simply one she could never have chosen for herself. Placing her staff against the wall by the door for safe keeping, Duvessa followed her into the sitting room where they would take their tea. It was almost a ritual for the two of them every time she came to the human lands to visit to do this, though often it was over bad news. Today was going to be no different in those terms but at the very least they had the comfort and company of one another. Her home was in turmoil and it was most likely not good for those involved or those nearby the chaos.

"My dear I am afraid this news will make you anything but happy," she started. As Merry placed the tea set down and poured the steaming liquid into cups, Duvessa smirked. Raising her hand, she casually flicked a few fingers which were surrounded by a green energy. The sugar would then place it's self into her cup as she did the same with the spoon, making the utensil stir the beverage without physically touching it. "..the taint is spreading. Arnul has been scorched by fires where invaders cleared a path to the dark wood. With the barriers gone my magic is holding it at bay the best it can but I fear even I have my limits." she said with a worried expression on her face which vanished almost instantaneously.

She gave the woman a moment to ponder all of this as she raised the cup to her lips. Taking a slow and careful drink she would let her mind wander for a moment. She could not imagine a world in which the dead would march into such a hellish area simply to start a fight. Something very important must have happened to pull them from the heart of their power. As twisted as it was she admired the protections of the dark woods. They passively kept enemies at bay and created the ultimate amount of privacy from the prying eyes of ones enemies. It was almost the one place in the map that not even the Fae dared tread, even in their own realm.

"I am unsure. I feel that there is more going on here than we are aware of. Perhaps if you could keep your ear to the ground within the brigade and find out whats going? I need to get closer to all of this but something tells me that the denizens of fire forge would not take kindly to my random intrusion." she said with a devilish grin. "By the way that the woods are damaged I can only imagine that the dragons instigated this sudden shift in forces." she concluded as she set her cup down on the table. Her large feathered wings drooped on the ground behind her as she relaxed from having flown all the way here from Arnul.

As the topic switched to her use of the portals, she laughed aloud at the girl. She was always so careful with managing them as she was shown yet she was timid in using their power. She didn't just have the power to maintain them, she had the power to open and direct them if she could only harness it. Of course she needed to channel powerful magic in order to do so, magic that laid beyond this realm. Shaking her head at Merry, she wagged her finger at her like she had done something wrong. "Perhaps you are thinking too big where I am thinking small. I mean to send away Vlad and the leader of the dragons. Surely everyone would be better for it? War is not what Yalanze needs." she said. She was adamant in that statement but for one who loved chaos that might seem strange.

"In war people drawn upon powerful magic, magic that disrupts the very source of all magic here on Yalanze. She is not some battery to be used at will, yet other species have no learned how to properly use it." she said with a sigh. Her kind gave back as much as they took from the source, having a special communion with it. It was something that she tried to teach Merry but it was a very complicated concept that was next to impossible to explain. For her it was like breathing, for others it took focus and vigorous study.

"The Brigade will try to remain neutral but that is impossible in the end. I feel the scope of this war goes far beyond two nations." she said.

[Merry Noelle Lovelace]

“I sort of thought you might say something like that.” She said gently as she sat down across from the ancient fae and poured tea, “Nothing good comes out of Sylthanus. I’ll admit there are good vampires but when the area starts spreading taint it’s just never a good thing.” She shook her head and wondered inwardly on how to purify it, “Have you thought of contacting an angel? I’ve seen how they cleans demonic artifacts. Perhaps they, with the help of fae and witches, could help clean the area up?” It was a shot in the dark given that the two species never got on completely well. Different belief structures often clashed and sometimes so did agendas.

She could feel the beginnings of a headache, “I can certainly ask around. We do have our share of diplomats on either side of the conflict.” She thought of how many new vampire assassins had joined the ranks Draven and Lyra came to mind. “I’m not sure I’d trust the intelligence gained from the newer recruits but Gael would be an excellent source of information.” She said out loud as she wondered what could be done. Things were so delicate right now between the races. The peace had only lasted a little over a decade. The idea that the dragons would destroy habitat was a surprising one. “I didn’t know they had animosity with the witches and lycanthropes.” She said quietly as she regarded the other woman sadly. “This does not bode well in either case.”

“I suppose what you are saying makes sense but the difficulty is that if the leaders disappeared their heirs or family might take up the charge.” She pointed out quietly as she regarded the fae one across from her. “I’d normally recommend a diplomatic meeting but if the two faction leaders hate each other rabidly there won’t be much getting conversation out of them.” Her brow furrowed and she steepled her hands as she thought.

Wrinkling her nose she sighed, “I gained the power I have now because a demon killed me. Something brought me back, there was a bolt of lightning from the sky but that is all I remember. I should have died but instead I came back different. I can’t really explain it at all; as for being someone elses Battery? Well I’m not a pushover by a long stretch.” Merry could be downright stubborn when the mood struck her and she wasn’t likely to tolerate intimidation.

An exhaled breath was all that met with the final statement Duvessa uttered. Merry took some time to prepare her tea as she sat there and tried to think of words. This was a delicate situation. “I fear it too, honestly. There are a lot of rumors running rampant and it’s hard to figure out what the truth is with all of it.” She admitted, suddenly feeling tired with all of the work before her.

[Duvessa]

A light smile appeared as Merry predicted what she might say. There were times where she enjoyed the bond she shared, even if she never spoke those words aloud. Merry would become like the daughter she had never had for herself despite her resistance to the very idea. Shaking her head, she let loose a light laugh before she set her cup and saucer upon the table. There was a bright and inquisitive gleam in her eyes as Merry explained how to resist the taint. "Pray tell, how does one summon an Angel? We Fae are not exactly privy to human secrets." she asked. It was hard to tell if she was serious or not but in this case she most certainly was. Duv knew thousands of spells yet she had never run across one that allowed her to summon a being said to be of pure light to the surface.

Duv wrinkled her nose at the idea of asking a vampire for information regarding vampires. Brigade or not she did not trust that they were detached from their motherland. Still she trusted Merry's judgement for the most part even if she could be too trusting of some people. Nodding her head slowly, she continued to casually play with her utensil on the table. Her fingers danced as if they had a mind of it's own, causing the spoon to rotate on it's axis upon the table like a top. That was how one could tell something was bothering her, when she idly fiddled with objects. "Can a vampire be trusted to give accurate information about their own motherland?" she asked. It was a fair question in her mind as she would lie if anyone asked about the Fae realm.

"I am not sure that they have a problem with them per say. I believe the witches and wolves were only in the way due to proximity. Either way, this war is going to escalate into a battle for the very soul of your realm. Have you given thought to escaping back to my world with me?" she teased. At one point she had been serious about this offer but she knew that Merry had much to do here. While she would be safe among the faeries, Yalanze would burn without someone to control the energy the portals gave off. Still, her love for this woman was not something to be tested. If it came down to it she would lay down her life to protect this girl- even if that meant giving up her freedom for protection should Merry go to the Fae world.

In her own world Duv was not on the friendliest of terms with those in power. She was more likely to spend eternity in a cage if she returned than not. Despite her immense power, she could not take down those in charge and thus she wandered the mortal realm. "Their children are not as powerful, of that I can assure you. Nothing could rival such magnificent strength as what I have felt. The heirs are infinitely less troublesome than those in power." she explained. As she did so she let the spoon drop to the table with a clatter. The mention of a lightning bolt meant something to her, despite her feigned ignorance of where Merry's powers actually came from. She did not know of Lucius but she knew of the source, the battery from which all magic came.

"A lightning bolt you say?" she asked. Never before had she heard of this.

[Merry Noelle Lovelace]

“Well I’d imagine that you’d need to know ones name to summon it but I myself have never known any angels as of yet.” She admitted a bit sheepishly as she blushed and looked over at her mentor from underneath the brown fringe of her bangs. It was new territory they were discussing and it intrigued Merry. Unfortunately she would probably be too busy dealing with details of the mage division to really check on it adequately. It bothered her that she could not be more hands on but she needed to learn how to delegate tasks to those who could handle it.

The questioning of Gael’s loyalties had Merry pausing a moment to review what she knew of the fighter and his years in the brigade, “I truly think Gael is loyal to the brigade. He’s been here longer than I have and he has a wife. From what I’ve seen he’s very happy here and has a good life. Merry herself had to learn how to separate what had happened to her from what people in the brigade were like. It had taken many years and discussion with people but she had worked it out. After a moments more thought on the issue she nodded, “I trust Gael. He’s been a rock for the Brigade and has stepped up to assist Bellator when he needed it. He has our trust and would be honest with us if we asked him about what happened.”

“A proximity war is still a war and I don’t see the dragons repairing what damage they wrought on their way back home.” She said with a gentle shrug, “Regardless being caught in the middle is not a good place to be believe me.” She said firmly to the queries. “I’m not sure they are better than the vampires but we shall see. It will depend on how well the repairs go on and if they help fix what they damaged.” Merry was strictly neutral with the dragons and since her only contact for that was Bellator she had kept a mostly neutral stance. She hated getting caught up in things and from the sounds of it, she’d like get caught up in the troubles that plagued the other lands around them. Her brow furrowed as she sipped her tea and looked over at Duvessa in the hopes of gleaning a clue beyond what she had pieced together. “I wish to stay here and help.” She said firmly as she looked over at the other woman and smiled softly at her offer, “It is a kind offer and I appreciate it but I do not wish to be more of a problem than I am already.” She laughed softly and winked at the older fae. She knew that Duvessa was not exactly well liked although she did not know the particulars behind it.

Another wrinkle of the nose met Duvessa’s dismissal of the children, “I’ve learned never to underestimate the young. Many a child has exceeded the parents in their goals.” She commented gently as she took a cookie and nibbled on it gently. The switch in topic made her nod, “Indeed, I believe that bolt saved my life from the demon that was draining me. It certainly knocked him for a loop and the next thing I knew I was in the infirmary feeling woozy but not hurt in any way. I should have died by all accounts but for some reason I did not. I don’t even have the burn patterning that lightning bolt victim’s show. It is the oddest thing and I do not understand it.”