Uriel

Ira.

Uriel's lip curled into a sneer at the name.

Names made things personal and now he had hers.

It was easier to think of her as the girl.

Watching Nina sleep he considered what to do next.

He should just take Nina home. If he got her back before she woke up, she'd never know they'd been gone. But something cold twisted in his gut at the thought of taking her back to the underground bunker without windows where the only sky she could dream of was the one she painted on empty walls. So he let her be as dawn broke, waking the chittering creatures of the forest outside.

Nina lay spread out over the covers of a four-poster bed, her chest rising and falling in steady breaths. The beast watched with him, restless and hungry as always. It wanted to take from the stones placed deliberately across Nina's body, but for once it did not push. As if it sensed the protection they placed over this part of them, it sat within its confinements, demanding nothing but wanting everything. Maybe it was the opal, obsidian and Amethyst placed respectively on Nina's shoulders and forehead that warded off the beast's darkness. If so, Uriel would have felt relieved by the beast's passivity if he wasn't so wary of it, but the power contained within the stones of the earth had never cowed it before and he doubted they would start now.

It didn't help that this place made him edgy.

It was too empty.

Once the dining room had been filled with lively youngsters eager to learn about the hidden world that had been revealed to them. Excited to push the boundaries of what was thought possible only to fall victim to the poisons that lived in their souls. In the beginning, Uriel had thought they were his new home but that was before the lies had revealed themselves to be just another glamor; meant to trap the gullible and use the fools.

He didn't want to be here.

Bitterness still ate at him when he remembered the bright-eyed girl who could hold the sun in her hands. The girl who had loved to dance almost as much as she loved to hunt. It was she who'd helped him heal. And no matter how much the old man prided himself as Uriel's teacher, it was her who taught him how to hold the beast in check to protect the ones he'd loved from its all-consuming hunger

Ember.

He missed her.

The sun was just beginning to creep across the room when Nina finally stirred and the knot that had tied itself around his heart eased just a bit. He might never be able to forgive Ajak for what he'd done but the mage's skills were undeniably the best. A part of Uriel hadn't dared to hope he could help but the other refused to believe otherwise. The beast pulled at his thoughts wanting to reassure itself that she was safe, but Uriel pushed it back.

It could hear Nina's breathing and her heartbeat, strong and steady, just as well as he could. She was alive. Even if his eyes and ears didn't tell him so the stones placed at her setting points feeding Ajak's Blessing did.

A construct far more complex and secure than Uriel could have ever created, he could feel the draw of it. Energy flowed through the moonstone on her belly and the Bond that tied Nina to him, into the complex patterns overlapping each other to protect the remaining fragment of her soul. Uriel was far from a novice when it came to such spells and the brute strength of the beast made Uriel's creations powerful, but he lacked the centuries of skill Ajak had mastered to perform the making of something so perfect.

Stretching with an enormous yawn and sending the chunks of jasper set on the back of each hand tumbling off, Nina sat up, making the stones on her forehead and abdomen fall into her lap. She blinked sleepily at them, thoughtlessly wiggling her feet to dislodge the turquoise on her ankles. Then her eye widened with realization.

"Where are we?" she asked taking in the massive room.

Large enough to be a small home, it had its own full bathroom that she would no doubt make a mess of as soon as she discovered it. furnished to be a comfortable living space, it had a desk and sitting area. A massive rug was laid out around the bed, an intricate design of lilies and birds woven into its design. Lilies because they had been his mother's favorite and birds because she loved to fly. The piece had been a gift from Ajak and Shayla for his birthday back when he still celebrated such things, but the room was sparse as he'd never had the need to collect things that could be taken away. A bookshelf was courtesy of Ajak's hoarder tendencies and insistence Uriel learn to read other languages along with his own. The various volumes on it were all his also, or rather they had been once upon a time, and Uriel was sure Nina would love them if she ever settled down long enough to pick one up.

"Somewhere safe." He told her but the child was no longer paying attention.

She stared at the window, hardly daring to believe there was one. Sliding out from under the covers she walked to the low bay glass, transfixed by the light that poured through it. Rising from where he sat, Uriel joined her in taking in the outside view.

He had opened the window to air out the dusty room and Nina took the opportunity to stick her head outside so she could see more.

Cloud-dressed mountains were half hidden by the tree line where the forest overshadowed the house, but open fields in front led off into the distance to meet the grate peaks on the not-so-distant horizon. The house itself was tucked near the upper plans of a valley where gentle hills met the foot of the mount at their backs and the emerging river could just be seen as it disappeared between two slopes. Its source, a thundering waterfall hidden away in the trees, could just be heard over the woosh of wind and leaves.

"Are those mountains?" she asked in awe.

"yes"

"Can we climb one.?"

"You can, but not right now." He told her softly "There's someone I want you to meet first."

His words reminded her of the last new person she'd met, and she looked around the room suspiciously. "Did you leave her at home?"

Uriel twitched with the need to claw something but answered calmly, "No, she's here."

"Oh" Nina looked back at the forest cloaked mountings, her frown contemplative. "She's not like them you know."

Everything inside him stilled at her words. "What?"

"They got her too, but she's not like the scary one."

Uriel didn't know what to do with that.

He'd lived with the darkness inside him for as long as he could remember but Nina had always been more sensitive to it. If she believed Ira wasn't the source, he would be a fool to ignore her, but neither could he disregard the chaos the beast had found in Ira's mind. She might not be the source, but she was connected to it, binding or not.

"Come on" he sighed "let's get you cleaned up."

It took some cajoling to get her away from the window and into the tub, but the little girl was far too curious not to try the scented soaps and essential oils Ajak kept stocked in every bathroom. And once she was clean the warm water made the task of getting her out more difficult than it had been to get her in. It took her getting soup in her eye for him to convince her she was done.

Clean and freshly clothed he walked her from the north wing, where the bedrooms were, through what had once been the commons but had more often been used as a study room, to the dining area. Unsurprised to find it empty he continued to the kitchen where he found Shayla flipping pancakes speckled with dark chips.

"Are those chocolate pancakes?" Nina climbed on top of a barstool to get a better look and sniffed to confirm her suspicions.

"They are." Shayla gave the little girl a bemused look.

"Those are my favorite!" Nina told her.

"Are they really?" Shayla asked with a raising brow, no doubt remembering the quiet teen who had shared the girl's exuberance Uriel had been when Shayla had first taken him under her wing.

"Yeah, Uri taught me how to make them for my day," Nina told her, unaware that the date she and Uriel had chosen in place of her unknown birthday was not a common practice. "Did he teach you too?"

Shayla snorted at that "Who do you think taught him?"

The look of absolute awe Nina gave Shayla made something ease inside Uriel.

He hadn't been sure how Shayla would take to the dark-skinned, curly-haired child that looked so much like the girl that had owned her heart. Uriel had no shame in knowing it was what had drawn him to Nina, but he didn't want that pain for Shayla, not when she'd already suffered. But the woman only grinned, the rare sight making Uriel ache for the past.

"Did he show you how to make honeyed butter to put on top?" Shayla asked Nina, adding the finished pancakes to a plate already stacked several inches high.

"What! No!" Uriel didn't think Nina's eyes could get any bigger. Apparently, he was wrong.

"Well come on then, grab a whisk and I'll show you," Shayla told her, pulling out a cloth-covered jar of the thick nectar as she directed. "In that drawer there, and bawls are underneath."

There was something surreal about watching the child he lived for with the woman who had been a second mother to him. Of all the things he expected to do in this lifetime, returning to this place of broken hopes was not one of them. When he'd left it, he cut all contact, too angry and too young to even consider forgiving. He still couldn't, but the blame had never been Shayla's.

So, he watched and let this moment sink in.

"Make sure the butter is thawed out good and beat it out," Shayla told Nina, pouring more batter onto the grill.

Nina followed Shayla's instructions with eager quickness. Uriel had worried she wouldn't recover but she seemed perfectly normal as she helped prepare breakfast. She was small but her strong arms were used to such strain and made easy work of the task. She had the butter whipped and smooth in no time at all and skillfully folded a dollop of honey in without hesitating.

"Uri, Plates."

He followed Shayla's order more out of habit than anything else. Slipping by her to get to the high cabinet they were stored, he pulled the dishes down and set them on the counter. He was ready to step away, but Shayla clasped his forearm when he meant to pass her. It was a familiar gesture, and he easily did the same.

Shayla had never been the affection type, but she'd learned for his sake, and he excepted what she gave graciously. Her sorrow and worry washed over him but there was also joy. She'd missed him. And Uriel almost felt guilty for not returning earlier. He released her, but she held on to him a few seconds longer, taking the time to push her gift through the physical connection.

Strength.

It lived in her bones and in her blood. Built from the years she'd fostered it, not just in her body but in her mind too. Strength of fortitude to carry the burdens life had given her and strength of will to protect the ones she loved. She gave a little of each because it was the only thing she could. Shayla was not one for gentle words nor had she ever been the tender type, but she cared for Uriel and unlike Ajak, understood what was to go without sustenance. Uriel did not eat as they did, not when the beast's hunger turned the food in his mouth to dust on his tongue, so she gave this bit of herself willingly to dull the edges of his hunger.

He didn't have the heart to tell her what once would have been enough did nothing but tempt the beast now.

More.

More.

More.

Pulling away Uriel nodded his thanks to her, careful to keep the beast in check. Shayla would never be able to satisfy its endless hunger, but her gift would help him withstand it a little while longer.

There was a shuffle at the door, and they stepped away from each other. The beast stirred in the back of Uriel's mind sensing the girl-Ira before Uriel turned to see her as Shayla did the same. When she saw Nina leaning over a plate of pancakes a wave of relief washed over her whole body and the beast watched the female with rapt attention. She still looked tired but the circles under her eyes weren't as deep. The curls that had been teased into her hair fell limply to brush her shoulders and Uriel frowned at the strands. He could have sworn her blond had been shorter but dark roots highlighted the part in her hair.

You're here too!" Nina exclaimed happily as Uriel struggled to keep the beast caged.

More.

More.

MORE it demanded, straining at its chains to consume the soul it craved.

Nina blinked at Ira and tilted her head as if listening to something for off, an expression Uriel had never seen on her face.

"Ajak is waiting for you in the greenhouse," Shayla told Ira after a long awkward silence.

Ira shot a quick glance at Uriel as she picked nervously at the sleeve of a shirt he recognized all too well. He hated seeing it on her, now, she had no right to ware Ember's things, but it wasn't like Ember would be using them he had to remind himself.

"The greenhouse?" Ira asked.

"Through there." Shayla nodded to the stained-glass door that led to Ajak's sanctuary.

Only connected to the kitchen and his library, it was where Ajak chose to spend most of his time when he wasn't in his library and Uriel wasn't surprised that was where he had decided to give Ira her first lesson. Hesitating only briefly Ira went to the door and tentatively opened it. A warm draft blew in with the heavy fragrance of Ajak's exotic collection. Throwing one last glance at them, Ira slipped through.

"I told you she's not like them," Nina said once she was gone.

"Ешь свой завтрак." Uriel told her.

What Ira was, wasn't a discussion he'd have with her or Shayla.

Nina obeyed but not without giving him a look that told him she understood far too much. It was there and gone just as quick and the way she dug into the plate of pancakes he almost thought he'd imagined it.

"What does she mean 'she's not like them'?" Shayla asked quietly as Nina shoveled half a pancake into her mouth. Uriel shook his head at her question, dismissing it without a word but she pressed on. "How does she know what Ira is?"

There were too many half-truths to tell her everything.

"I've never lied to you," he said pulling the already half-empty plate of pancakes away from Nina before she could eat them all and forking two over to another plate that he slid over to Shayla, "don't make me start now."

She frowned at the offering, but this time accepted his non-answer. Nina pouted at the stolen goods but finished her breakfast with noisy appreciation. Shayla followed suit less noisily and for a second Uriel was envious of them. There once was a time when he would have killed for some stale bread or even a few turnips to fill his empty belly and the sweet scents conjured memories of happier days. Now he only craved the thoughts and emotions of others as the beast did and could only remember the taste of things through Nina's senses.

"Oh my god! Can we make some more?" Nina asked licking some of the sweetened butter from her hand.

"No," Uriel told her. "You've had enough." She wrinkled her nose at him, ready to argue so he added quickly "You can see the garden once you've cleaned yourself up."

"Gardens?" Nina's voice brimmed with excitement.

"Yes, with strawberries."

"Strawberries?" her eyes widened "Where?"

"Outside," Shayla told her.

"Wash your face first," Uriel reminded her when Nina directed her unspoken question toward him.

She squealed in excitement and ran to the door, only to halt before it like a disciple before their idol. Breaths heavy with anticipation she tentatively twisted the knob and slowly pulled it open. A cool morning breeze pushed past her, bringing the familiar scents of spring with it to dance through the room and play with their hair. Sucking in the fresh air the child just stood there for a long moment, transfixed by this new possibility that was before her.

Shayla glanced at Urial and raised a curious brow, but he ignored her look, too ashamed to explain why the little girl had no memories of being outside. Seeing no answers would come from him she came up alongside Nina and took her hand, heedless of the stickiness still coating it.

"Come on." She told the younger female, leading her out. "I'll show you how to use the well pump."

Uriel watched them disappear around the house to the plot used to grow vegetables and fruit all year round with only a mild sense of apprehension and wondered if he'd been wrong to keep Nina away from the rest of the world. Yes, he'd only meant to keep her safe from a reality that only wanted to destroy her, but He could have given her more. She'd been alone for too long and being here reminded him of the good things he'd given up on because of what he was.

Things like companionship.

And family.

I don't have a mother, her words echoed in his head.

Shaking off his melancholy thoughts he began collecting the dirty dishes.

Falling into the rhythm of the kitchen, it was easy to settle into old habits. Everything was exactly where it had been fifty years ago, and it did not take long to finish cleaning up. After putting the last dish away, he hung the drying towel over the lip of the sink as Shayla had drilled into him so long ago and collected his coat.

While coming back here had been necessary, he couldn't stay. he hated the idea of remaining a second longer, but a part of also him hated that could not. There was too much history living in these walls, on this land, and he had too much to do. He still didn't know who had made Ira, or rather tried to if she really was born. Either way, her master was a threat to the secrecy of the mage he couldn't afford. And there was also the matter of Ancient involvement he needed to address.

Sliding the coat on, Uriel slipped outside.

The rising sun was just starting to burn off the cool of the early morning, but the ground was still covered with dew. The open yard behind Shayla and Ajak's home was partly covered in shadows cast by the tree line. But they were high enough out of the valley that the first rays of light shone across the porch where Shayla sat, a long blade in one hand and a wet stone in the other. She must still keep a few in the dining room. He remembered many a morning and several nights helping her maintain the blades she kept for her students along with the occasional one from her personal collection when she allowed it. "Always take care of your weapons and they will not fail you" she used to tell him, but Uriel had always suspected it was more a means of relaxation than a lesson. His suspicion was confirmed when she ran the stone along the sword's edge, steel ring with each stroke as she kept one eye on Nina.

Approaching the older mage, Uriel watched his young charge run from one end of the yard where a patch of flowers sprouted around the fence that kept animals out of the garden. Having picked several with devastating delight, Nina rushed to the other side of the yard where another patch grew, fed by the spells that lived in Ajak's greenhouse. After adding to her growing bouquet of crushed blossoms she ran back to repeat the process. Sporadically she'd stop and tilt her face to the morning sun and bask in its warmth for a few seconds before whooping and spinning circles. Her feet kicked up dandelion fluff each time and sent it drifting over to them making Shayla brush a clump of the stuff off her leg before returning to her sharping stone.

"There's something I need to do," Uriel informed his former mentor.

Shayla only paused for half a second before continuing with her long precise motions.

"I need to know she's safe here." He added softly.

"Which one?" she asked but he understood her real question: why she and not they.

"I don't care what happens to her," the words tasted like a lie. "But Nina can't protect herself like us, she's-" he swallowed back the truth before he could tell her. Not even Shayla could be trusted with that. "- broken." He finished.

"They both are from the look things." He didn't have an answer to that, but Shayla didn't want one.

She wanted him to stop thinking as a mage in their game with all its pieces and consider things as if Ira was under his care. That had him wanting to take the blade from her hand and stab her with it. The beast delighted at the idea, but that would only prove her point.

"Still so quick to anger?" she clicked her tongue in disapproval and just like that he felt like the same hot-headed teen he'd been the first time he'd stood on this porch. "When will you let go?"

He shook his head at the sadness in her question, "I thought he was the touchy-feely one."

Shayla snorted at that. "I'm sure if you'd stuck around, he would have worn off on you too..."

Her comment brought back all the pain and anger of Ajak's betrayal that Uriel kept carefully locked away. It washed over him, hot and terrifying. His skin crawled with the need to burn this place down and everything it once stood for with it. the beast pressed forward, making his eyes ache with the pressure and he tasted ozone in the back of his mouth.

But this was more than Ajak's home, it was Shayla's too.

And Ember's, once.

"Why did you stay?" he asked Softly.

She stilled at the question but did not look at him when she answered.

"Because she was his miracle just as much as she was mine. And because his guilt will haunt him more than ours ever could."

The truth hurt less than he thought it would but if Uriel was honest with himself, he had always known she could never leave. Ajak was Shayla's soul. He had given her freedom when all she had left was a pretty face and she would never abandon him as Uriel had done.

A little of his anger abated but it did not ease the hurt,

"Will you make sure nothing happens to her until I get back?" He asked, going back to his original reason for coming to her.

"I will."

He nodded his thanks and made to go down the porch steps"

"Uri,' he paused at her call "it was good to see you again,"

He gave her a half-smile "you too, old lady."

She scowled at his use of the old endearment, but he felt her joy in the beast's response as he stepped off the deck. He paused for a moment when he felt the sunlight on his own shoulders. Warm and steadfast, it had the beast uncoiling inside and pressing behind his eyes. The thing inside him wanted to reach into that source of endless warmth and claim it for its own.

But there were things that needed to be done.

Opening his eyes, he found Nina barreling toward him. She slammed into his legs and wrapped both arms around one thigh.

"This is magical." She told him breathlessly "Can we stay?"

He ran a hand over her loose curls and saw her roots were showing. She would want a new color to paint it when she noticed the matron grey, and the pink was fading anyway.

"I have to go," he informed her looking at her hair so he wouldn't have to see her disappointment. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Promise?"

How could one word hold so much?

He knelt so he could look her in those soulless eyes, so old yet too young. Holding out his hand, he waited until she placed her own atop it before swearing. "I promise."