Olivia

"This is palate's bane, if you're so intent go ahead." Olim said with a smile, the magenta berry resting in his hand. She took a sniff, the runny scent of vinegar stained her nostrils, warning her not to take a bite. She gobbled the berry whole, not intent on depriving herself of a new experience, she had Wind for that. Her first reaction was a hiss, They were really ripe! Like they had been picked before they were ready.

"Yeah, it takes a while to get used to, but you'll grow to like it." He said with a smile, she was apparently meant to 'grow into' a lot of things. No one hesitated on reminding her how young she was, apparently, she emerged too early. She wasn't young enough to believe them when they said it was alright. The reality was that their mission would have been much easier if they didn't need to worry about a pup still struggling to walk—Or in her case, float—on her own.

Tonight they had rented out a warehouse, it was like an animal-less barn. Well, humans were a type of animal, so she guessed it was kind of serving its purpose.

The wooden door opened, Olim jumped into one of his battle stances to fight on his own. Not even waiting for her to join with him. She pushed back the ping of shame and bared her fangs. "Really sister, you should have sensed me." Wind said, her form clinging tightly to Clark, her own Olim, they were called... Witches, why was that name so hard to remember?

Most of her was hidden beneath Clark's clothing. But that was no more obfuscating than a glass window when it came to seeing Wind. She appeared as an intricate set of lines and pathways, Olim said they called them tattoos. Olim promised she would be able to see a real one when they were at a safer place. She did not understand that one, the places they have been looked pretty safe.

Wind formed a figure on his chest, arms crossed foot tapping on the single ink line making the floor. Like when she spoke, the sound of her foot tapping was produced by fits of vibrations it was how she and Olivia spoke when they clung to their guiles.

"And you, what were you expecting to accomplish with that? If a maven," She scrunched up like she had been the one to take a bite from that sour berry. "Made their way into the room, what would that have accomplished?" Olim lowered his staff, his cheeks flushing a reddish hue. Apparently, humans could change their shade to convey emotions as well.

"It's good he shows dedication Wind." Clark said, his voice as rough and coarse, like churning stones, it always made her feel cozy. "Don't you agree Olivia?" Olivia nodded.

"Ugh, don't you go using that name on her as well, she copies both of you enough as it is." So what if she copied a guile? Guiles were entertaining, they were funny and also useful. She couldn't even count how many times a guile had scratched her back or offered her a free meal, apparently, she was 'novelty,' whatever that was. If it meant being treated as she had, she would be a novelty for as long as she lived.

"What's the word?" Olim asked, rummaging through their bag of holdings.

"Another Nightwave will be approaching," Clark said, shaking his head, "We can make our way to the next town, but we'll need to find a safe house quickly."

Olivia quivered, she remembered the last time they were lost within the nightwave, harsh monstrous creatures, the tensing of Olim's muscles. The wound he suffered on the back of his leg, it was taking forever to heal.

"You do not need to worry girl." Clark said, scratching her head, "You won't need to fight, I will make certain of that." She loosed a purr, humans liked hearing that.

"Yes, I'm certain you have it all covered." Wind said, the little outline of her crossing her arms.

"Get to bed, we'll be moving by morning." Clark said, She and Olim nodded in unison, she liked how in sync they were even when she wasn't clinging to him.

"How about one more before we hit the hay?" He asked, Olivia leapt up, her tails swaying like crazy. "I'll take that as a yes." He said, with a grin, he ruffled the top of her head. Using that connection, that single touch, she gripped to him tightly, inscribing herself to his body.

His breathing synced with hers, or hers with his? Either way, she could feel the blood pumping through his veins, the beating of his heart becoming her own. She witnessed the world through his eyes now, not if it was her own but she was aware of every object and corner that had been within the barn. She could leverage every sense as if it was her own, as he could leverage her talents for his own usage.

"Get to bed!" Wind ordered, emerging from Clark like he was a pool of lake water. For someone who complained about guiles, she certainly enjoyed looking like one. Her body was like a pint-sized guile. Not a child, just when it came to scale the body was a orange compared to a guile's watermelon.

She claimed it was more practical, but excuses are probably a habit Wind adopted from the guiles. Not that she would ever tell that to her sister's face. 

"We won't be up long, no need to worry." Olim shook their hand, flashing a smile, "Just something to ease the nerves."

Wind rolled her eyes, giving up on trying to bully them she hovered over to where Clark had made his resting spot tonight. Curling the long tail-like mane she had when she wore that form, she was barely visible beneath the makeshift cover.

He made his way towards the forge, it seemed like a sturdy make, with a fair bit of use. Olivia twisted at the sight of the hammer hanging on top of the forge. It seemed no matter how far she ran, whatever she did. She would never be able to escape that... /tool./

She pulled off his arm, she did not want to touch the hammer as he took it off the anvil and toss it aside. "There, there." He said, with a hushed whisper, "It's been removed." Slowly she extended herself over his hand once again.

United again, he took their hands and began the forge, heating the metal until it changed into a molten liquid. He then called her, asking to borrow from her and she granted. Wind told her she would one day be able to act through him, for now, she could only be guided by him, heeding where he needed her.

Slowly she reshaped the metal, making the form Olim willed, his mind acting as an outline for her. Pretty soon she would be able to reshape metal as easily as humans could manipulate clay, though even that was a crude way of explaining it.

Olim placed the finishing touches on the blade, Olivia struggled to keep her focus on the process, the hammer at the side stuck at the corner of her eye. Just the sight of that horrid implement brought back terrible memories, of all the acts she committed.

/No!/ She reminded herself, she was forced to perform each action. But what about that feeling of loving it? Did he make her enjoy every moment of slaughter, every victim's plea for mercy? Or was that just an easy justification? One she was using to avoid answers she did not want to hear... 

She wanted to scream, were any of these thoughts normal? She didn't dare ask Olim, Clark, definitely not Wind. What would they do when they learned she had these feelings? Going down that route was more painful than facing the memories. At least she took solace in the current her. Like the fact her past now made her as nauseous as when Olim had hit his thumb with that wretched hammer.

"What do you think Olivia?" He asked brandishing the knife, had he noticed her withdrawing? She gazed through his eyes, looking at the new creation. Even with her sparse glance, she could tell this paled in comparison to the sword they had made for Clark.

Both she and Olim were so in sync with each other that day. That blade became the culmination of their trust for one another, even Wind had trouble finding things to complain about that day. 

Now that was a tool, why couldn't humans stick with knives, all a knife did was make punctures in the body, nothing like those nasty hammers, which could crush and shatter bones. Especially when creatures like her could shape metal way more easily. She would be more than happy to if it meant ridding the world of that metallic blight.

"Your best work yet." She lied,  with a smile. She was getting good at telling the good lies. She didn't know how he could tell she was smiling but he knew, he brushed their left elbow. She separated from him, making her way to the pile of hay that made up her bed. Taking a look at Wind, who rested curled up on Clark's chest. For someone who complained about poor sleeping arrangements, or not having a hammock. She never seemed to have a problem sleeping soundly. Not only that, but she slept in a form she explicitly forbid Olivia from taking without permission. Not like she was missing much anyway, who would ever trade in tails for a messy mane of redundant hair?

Olivia made her way back to her own pile of hay, she didn't understand the complaints, it was warm and soft, and when she placed herself right, she was able to just pass out...

...

"Finally waking up?" Olim asked, she didn't need to see him to know he was smiling. Olivia lifted herself on her four paws and steadied herself as much as she could. She shook herself and yawned. Once again she overslept, and once again she had been placed in Olim's bag.

She leapt out of the bag and made her way on his shoulder, the sun greeted her in its usual way. Trying so hard to pluck her vision. She would never leave herself vulnerable to such a trick again. 

Olim and Clark were busy walking along that marvelous path. Jealousy ate at her with every step, why couldn't she enjoy using the walkway with them? She could lose herself in the river of seemingly endless bricks. The pathway was overwhelming, trailing off into the horizon, she was glad she wasn't asleep when they reached the end. The cool breeze kissed her cheeks, the warm sun brushed against her back, attempting to get on her good side. Her tail brushed the side of his shoulder.

"You're up early." Clark commented, that smoke stick hanging in his mouth. Olivia still couldn't figure that one out. It was made of wood and she knew humans couldn't eat wood... She was relatively certain at least. Besides all it did was make smoke, and some blackish-grey sand. It tasted nasty, at least she assumed it tasted nasty. It's not like she would be ridiculous enough to taste that foul muck. 

Olivia leapt to the floor, the granite felt right. How she longed to make something lasting. She could at least put it to use, to do otherwise would dishonor whoever spent so much love and effort to make such a convenience.

"What are you doing?" Wind said. "Get off of there!"

"You just woke up, relax a bit." Olim said, scooping her off the floor, "We need you to keep your strength up."

"Hurry up and bond you can't keep wasting our time." Wind said.

Olivia winced, she wasn't going to ever let that go, was she? Olivia pressed against Olim, inscribing herself on him. Extending pathways from his chest to his limbs. Olim took a deep breath and opened their eyes. The contrast between her senses and Olim's still took time to get used to. 

His sense of smell was laughable, and his sight was... She still hadn't decided if it was better or not, certain colors were sharper. But blindingly so... No wonder humans were so confused about their surroundings. Olivia lent him, her most important sense. The sense she could not name, the sense she and Wind shared.  

"You're getting better." Wind said, like complimenting her was the hardest thing in the world. "Hurry up and feed." Olivia rolled her eyes, breathing inward, supping from Olim the energy all humans seemed to possess. She always felt bad doing this, but he reassured her it did nothing but rejuvenate him.

She drank greedily of whatever nectar humans were made of, each breath filling something deep within her core.  It was so odd, why did mother allow her and Wind to manipulate the power while Olim and Clark retained the energy necessary to fuel the power? She extended further coiling herself around the surface area of his body, extending like roots in a tree. 

If she couldn't feel the path with her own paws, she could at least traverse the land through Olim. "What are you doing!? Conceal yourself!" Wind howled, again Olivia rolled her eyes, why was she always such a fuddy-duddy?

"But we're outside, no one's around for miles, I can hide when we get closer to the town." 

Wind murmured something, Wind always murmured when she wanted to be bossy, Olivia always found it annoying.

"And what if a heartless walks by? You really want the put our lives on the line just for your selfishness?"

"Olivia it would be a good idea to keep yourself hidden, you can run around all you want when we find shelter." Clark promised.

Olivia's arguments died on her lines, only a whimper vibrated as she coiled back. She retreated from everything, focusing herself at her companion's heart. None of this was remotely fair! "We can hear your whimpering!" Where the last words of Wind she had heard before everything went silent.

She hated being coiled, surrounded with nothing but darkness, her senses were dulled profusely. It was like looking through fogged glass or hearing mud in your ear, each sensation muffled or muted.

She could tell when they reached the town, chided at the situation of missing another place. The warm sensation of something running down their throat was a small constellation, some broth, it better not have been something new! She still hadn't forgiven Olim for making her first taste a pear while coiled. It wouldn't hurt to peak, would it?

Olivia extended herself to Olim's eye, looking through one of them, he was leaning on some table, but they were outside. The sun greeted them firmly in the sky overhead, if only she could feel such warmth. A wrong-looking human stumbled across, his skin was leathery and coarse. Most noticeably the amber glow emitting from their empty eye sockets. She believed the others called it a risen. Olim was saying something, she could feel his mouth moving but she couldn't hear any words whatsoever.

'Sister!' Wind hissed in her mind. Like a child found with stolen treats, Olivia retreated into darkness yet again.

She kept herself hidden for the rest of their trip, first to escape Olivia's constant tirade of how much of a constant disappointment she has been. Later she kept perched within her hiding spot when she heard the morbidly familiar ping. Why did every place have to have a blacksmith!?!

Ping.

Bodies crushed and turned into bloody paste.

Ping.

Homes pulled beneath the surface.

Ping.

The people sheltered within spending their last moments clawing for air.

Ping.

Worst of all the grin painted across her face, complete with a solid fit of giggling, she pulled away, crept further into her corner.

"Ok." Olim said, his voice as clear as those wondrous bells that signal the change in the hour. She leapt from him freeing herself from that infinite nothingness. He brushed the back of her spine and she loosed a gargled purr, she couldn't control herself on that at times.

"So what's our next move?" Olim asked, extending his hand, Clark grasped his arm. No doubt placing sister's blessing on him. Apparently, they used this to communicate with one another, "How about one for Olivia as well?" Clark suggested.

It was something else, hearing a groan escape Wind, like the sun being out in the middle of the night. "You wish me to waste what energy I have left?"

"We have more to spare." He shrugged.

"There is no 'we' in this."

"Aren't you the one saying she should take more responsibility? Hard to do that when you keep treating her like a child."

Olivia nodded, her twin tails waggling in alternating heights, despite her attempts to quell such a reaction. "Fine!" Wind relented and Olivia let out a remarkably childish noise, her tails twisting together in a single coil.

Clark placed his hand beneath her chest, a jolt of energy filling her, branding her with the same blessing her sister had placed on Olim and presumably Clark.

'Well? Speak!' Her sister demanded impatiently.

'Yes! I can hear!' She could hear! Oh mother's embrace she could hear so wonderfully! Usually, she had to settle with the scraps of information she could get from Olim. 

'Good, keep quiet and try learning something.' She ordered, paying Olivia's presence no mind.

'What will be our next move?' Olim whispered, it wasn't anything as backwards as the rough wheezing the guiles related with the word.  The harmonious tones granted to them by mother were far superior in every way shape or form. He brushed his hand against her back, mother it felt so good. 'We've had to have bought some time between them, right?'

Clark shook his head, his arms crossed, 'the wave doesn't slow the heartless as bad as it will us. We can't count on that, we leave as soon as the wave passes.' Olivia did not like hearing that, she was hoping to get a view of the new town.

'But we can enjoy a quick meal or show before we-,'

'You should keep those 'chronicles' out of your mind!' Wind hissed, the word chronicles appeared to be a word more vulgar than any actual swear. Wind had no qualms with the men using those words, yet she would get a harsh talking to by Wind if she even asked what they meant. But chronicle, that was a word no one wished to say within the vicinity of Wind. Not even Clark who usually was the only person Wind wasn't completely able to walk over.

/Hopefully my other siblings won't be as mean as her./ Olivia felt the crushing weight of Wind's focus. Lines of her script leaping out of Clark's chest.

'Something you want to say, sister.' The way she said sister was enough to make Olivia want to curl up entirely. Did she accidentally project that? 'You have something on your mind, care to speak?'

'There you go again.' Clark whispered, an image of him shaking his head, played in her mind. 'She'll speak up if she feels her voice needs to be heard, she doesn't need you to let her know Wind.'

'Fine.' Wind said, returning to the canvas of Clark's flesh. 'Where should our next stop be? Cazmagar is still too far, and we are nowhere near the borderlands.'

'Mayrook,' Olim said, it was weird watching him speak without moving his mouth. 'Bechilda has no love for the barons.'

'She is also a baron herself. No matter how much she claims, no matter what she does, it does not change what she is, an apostate. She would not hesitate to gut our kin for her own ends.' Olivia could do without the vision she projected, the sight of both her and Olivia hung up like animal pelts was not necessary for her to make her point.

'No,' Olim continued, 'She has spoken openly of her dislike of slavery. I feel she is genuine, if not she will find it in her best interest to keep us out of our mutual foe's grasp. I'm certain she would grant us sanctuary.'

'And if she doesn't? What then? We'd have presented our neck, and all but handed her the knife. I do not like betting on an apostate's spite, less their mercy.'

'What do you suggest? We can't keep ahead of the baron, you've already said as much, if we keep the way we are going, it's only going to get us killed.'

'Charity, an actual charity, there is one not far off from here,' Olim flashed the sight of a building, complete with people garbed in a light green. Wind had shown her these people when they spent time with each other in the wyld dream. 'We can find meet up with one, and-,'

'And then we really will be offering our necks to our pursuers.'

'They have supplies and horses and if we're lucky even a whitemare.'

'A whitemare would not bother with us,' She produced the sight of a school of fish swimming away at the approach of a great white monster fish with rows of jagged sharp fangs. 'You should already know that!' Why would a whitemare not bother with their quest?

'Enough,' Clark finally interrupted their argument, the whisper was mixed with a deafening pressure. 'It doesn't matter which path we take, we're stuck here right no-'

Out of nowhere a loud knocking beat at the wall that acted as a door. "Please! I'm by myself! Please you've got to help me! They'll, They'll kill me!"

'Hide!' Olim said, his urgency firm in her mind. He flashed the pile of hay in her mind's eye, 'Like we practiced.' Before making his way to open the barn, only for Clark to grip his arm firmly.

'What are you doing?' Wind hissed, 'Are you crazy!'

'We can't leave someone out there to be killed.' Olim retorted, pulling his arm out of Clark's grasp.

'We can't let anyone inside here! Are you mad?!'

"Please! Please! Aspects! Don't let them kill me!" The person outside begged her beating at the door only becoming more and more frantic. Olivia could tell it was female now.

'You're going to let her die out there?' Olim whispered, the tone angry.

'She will give up and find a better hiding spot.' Wind whispered, projecting the image of a sighing motion.

She continued to beat frantically at the wall, her pleading as constant as the river, Olivia was certain she was not going to run away.

'She's not running away. Are you really going to sit and let her die behind that wall?' Wind kept silent, 'If we let her die for our own needs, how are we any different than the apostates?'

Anger radiated from Wind so potently, Olivia could feel the anger from her hiding spot.

'Open it.' Wind whispered.

Olim pulled the heart from his belt, the organ beat in a steady rhythm like it was living. What little Olivia knew of it was people could use it to manipulate the world. Nowhere near as well as she could speak with the stone. But she would admit it had been useful.  

He used the heart, allowing the wall to slip open, and a woman fell through, with a hesitated crawl she made her way into the warmth of the barn, looking up she greeted them with her emerald green eyes and ghost white hair.

"Oh thank you, aspects thank you!" She said, barely able to keep her composure, she fell into Olim's arms, "I thought I was going to-,"

"Are you harmed?" Olim asked, extending his hand for her to grasp, the woman took it, lifting herself to her feet.

"No, no, thanks to you!" She said, huffing like crazy, "If you hadn't let me in, I wouldn't know what I would have done!"

Good deeds... Olivia could do without good deeds if this is what it accomplished, her forced to hide in the pile of hay, when she should have been able to play and stretch her legs!

"What are you doing out in the open, by yourself?" Clark asked, pouring them three cups of tea.

"I was enjoying myself in the lake, I like how the water brushes between my feet. Then my muse continued to whine about getting home," Olivia didn't need to be connected to Olim to notice him tensing up. She was honestly more impressed with Wind, how did her sister not gut the girl and liberate their sibling right here and now? "I thought she was just being a bother and paid her no mind. Then the wave hit, I rushed back home as fast as I could but I forgot my cantrip back at the brook."

"You were practically courting danger child." Clark said, handing the two of them a cup of tea.

Why hadn't Wind dealt with the interloper yet? Had Olivia known how boring letting her in would have been she would have... What told Clark and Olim to leave her to die? She just needed to... wait until this woman went to sleep. Falling asleep before she did carried too much of a risk of being found out. Currently, she had been up for hours, listening to this guile's endless stream of inane questions.

"No thanks," Lahyn waved the cup away, "I have everything I need right here." She kept herself wrapped around Olim's arm, and Olivia felt a sudden flash of irritation, why? 

'Are you happy now?' Wind whispered, projecting an image of herself scoffing.

'What did you want me to do? Leave her out to die?'

'The girl's a fool, she was lucky she was born a guile.'

'Why's that?' Olivia asked.

'Because...' Wind began with a sigh, apparently this was one of the things she shouldn't have had to explain, 'Out of every living creature, guiles appear to be the only race that not only suffer their fools but actually rewards them.'

"Oh you're so strong, what do you do? Are you by chance a marshal?" She said pressing her hand on Olim's chest.

That made sense, for some reason she had to suffer because this woman wanted to get herself killed and ignored every avenue attempting to keep her safe. 

"My friend and I are just travelers, on business from Moongrain." Olim said with a grin, why did he have to grin at her so much?

'Now. Can we discuss our options like adults?' Clark whispered in their minds as he recited the story they had set up beforehand.

'I still think Princess Charity would be our best bet, she can give us breathing room, and even if you don't trust her Mayrook is large enough to get lost in.'

'You're really married to this idea.' Wind groaned.

'Because we are in a unique opportunity, if we turn our tails and run back to Cazmagar we rescue Olivia, but what about the others? What about the one made a pet by this girl right here? If we can get support right within the Feather clan's heart, maybe we can make a difference.'

"Sounds really intricate." Lahyn said, with a wispy voice, it was obvious even to Olim that she was paying no attention to what Clark had said. "It must make a lot of money, it must also be... really lonely..." She said, resting her head on his chest, that was her spot!

'Control yourself.' Wind chided.

"I've got plenty of company," Olim said with a smile.

Lahyn let out a husky laugh, "Your muse doesn't count, I'm talking about a person to keep you warm at night..." She whispered, not like them, unfortunately, she had to put her mouth close to his ear. "I'm a great cook and-,"

"Surely you couldn't leave your friends and family." Clark said.

Lahyn huffed, "I think a bit of time away from my family will do me some good, and my 'friends' were perfectly content with leaving me to the nightmares!"

'For some reason, I don't find that surprising.' Wind whispered and Olivia burst out laughing, through projection at least, she wasn't a moron. 

 Lahyn waved her hand dismissively before placing her head back on Olim's chest.

"Lahyn, my friend and I are planning our next destination, we were considering Brookhaven, or Mayrook. We know of Baron Moark, what can you tell us of this Princess Charity."

"Baron Moark is a wonderful man!" Lahyn sounded so wistful "He holds these large feasts every Changing, and makes certain we have plenty of angels to look after us."

'The risen.' Wind clarified, could she really see Olivia's thoughts somehow?

"We know of the good baron," Clark took a sip of his tea, "but we are lacking any information about Princess Charity."

"I'd consider the aspects favor you then." She said, with a huff, "I don't even understand how she got that name, considering she does nothing but take..."

"What has she been doing?" Clark asked, leaning forward his hand on his chin.

Lahyn rolled her eyes, she clearly didn't want to talk about this, "She's been disrupting the natural order of things, ripping eldritch from their owners under the guise of freeing them." Lahyn flexed both her index and middle finger as she said those last two words.

"My cousin, he used to live there, worked so hard to get his certification, and she canceled it." She shook her head and sighed, "He has to start all over now." She shook her head, "Now I've heard this ridiculous rumor about her trying to take people's muses now!" Lahyn let out a shrill laugh. "It's real rich considering she herself is enlightened, clearly a do what I say and not what I do, type of woman."

'See? She outlawed necromancy, she's pulling back against the barons, we should reward her for that.' Olim argued.

'She's also one of them, an apostate, we can not trust them!'

"Not that it would help I guess," Lahyn continued, Olivia was getting fed up with her vapid voice. "My cousin was complaining about how she put a much tighter grasp on angel production. Is she going to expect people to do all that work now?" Lahyn finished that thought with a laugh.

'See?' Olim whispered, 'We can't pass up this opportunity!'

'Opportunity?' Wind hissed, 'You're putting my sister on the line to further your own-,'

'We should go!' Olivia interrupted, 'We should go and grasp a stronger hold for our kin!'

'Olivia, we need to get you home, you're-,'

'No! I want to help, if we want to help we need to put our own safety on the line.'

"Oh Bechilda would be a perfect choice," Lahyn said, "She's really accepting of quite a bit, Eldritch, Lions, your FaliPixcee." A chill filled the room, Lahyn's hand on Olim's chest, "It's rude to whisper behind someone's back you know." She said, a blade appearing out of nowhere, burying itself between his chest, cutting into his heart.

"No!" Olivia hissed.

'Olivia run!' Clark howled, pointing towards Lahyn, vines emerging from around him, creating a plethora of creatures, he had referred to them as his cohort. The diminutive creatures rushed towards her, Lahyn cutting at them with remarkable ease.

Olivia didn't know what she could do, how could she even leave without the heart, Olim was dead... He wasn't moving anymore, and he couldn't-,

'Olivia! Run!' Wind bellowed

"Yes, Olivia." Lahyn said, "Go ahead and run, your friends are doing all they can to give you a head start!" She could hear them? Their whispers? Lahyn rushed towards Clark swiping to cut him in half. Her blade was held in place by the metal sword Clark placed between them. It was the sword she and Olim had made!

Lahyn's eyes widen, she did not expect the blade to stop her slaughter. In one motion she twisted around throwing Clark across the room with a kick. Clark grabbed the heart, and pointed it towards the wall having it rip open. Grasping Oliva he rushed out running with all his might.

"What about Olim, we have to-"

"He's dead Sister!" Wind interrupted, "Keep focus on escape, that is all we can-"

Creatures of oily shadows rushed into the barn, each sporting glowing eyes of red and gold, razor-sharp fangs, and bestial figures. They rushed towards Clark and Lahyn indiscriminately. Lahyn hissed a swear, cutting at the ones that leapt to her. 

Clark used the distraction to take Olivia in his arms and rush into the oppressive blackness of the nightwave.

...

A night creature leapt at Clark, its razor-sharp fangs digging at his shoulder, he gripped the creature on its head which fluctuated like it was jelly. Teeth appeared on the back of its head, cutting into Clark's hand.

Then Wind hummed, the melody lightened the oppressive darkness, then the creature's head exploded the body fading away like it was nothing but smoke. "On your right!" Wind shouted, Clark, took his torch and fired to his right, hitting another of the slim many fanged creatures in the neck.

Olivia kept herself tucked in Clark's grip, Olim was dead, Wind had told her, that couldn't be true, it was so quick, Olim was too clever to be cut off that easily, but something so unfair... He had to be alive, "You're mistaken!" No response, "Olim is still alive and he'll-,"

"Olivia Enough!" Clark commanded, firing at another nightmare, this one looking like a deformed bat.

"Head northeast, we can lose them at the river!" Wind said, Clark shifted forward, holding a firmer grip on her before smashing through what Olivia assumed was a wall of Night creatures, why wasn't he using his cohort?

Clark howled falling to the floor, Olivia fell tumbling to the earth scuffing and brushing her, she quivered, struggling to get back to her feet. She needed to get up, she needed to help Olim-,

Clark's head fell to the floor, Lahyn's blade cutting through the night, brandished firmly in her right hand.

Both of them couldn't be killed, could they? She felt a primal disgust, a visceral hatred running through every fiber of her being. Olivia knew she should have run, every instinct told her running was the only hope she had for escaping.

She didn't care, she just wanted this woman to suffer, Olivia bared her fangs leaping towards the woman, aiming for her neck. Instead, she was seized from behind, she was a sibling, no doubt about that, she was as tall as a guile and most frighteningly... lacked eyes.

"And you are certain this is the one?" Lahyn said, looking behind her, the entire time Olivia attempted to break free from her traitor sibling's grasp.

"Oh yes," The voice put a chill throughout the entirety of Olivia, it couldn't be... "I can feel the pull," He said, standing in front of her. His being here could only mean it was a nightmare. His lithe figure, prominent nose, and sharp predatory gaze... "Hello Prudence, long time no see." He flashed a wide smile, like a hound ready to be fed by his master, Olivia could not stand it anymore.

Prudence... that name hit her harder than a sledgehammer. "Aspects, the other one got away." Lahyn said, shaking her head.

Then there was hope... "You hear that?" Olivia whispered to her eyeless sister, "Our sister still lives, she will save us." Hope Wind could rescue Olim and-,

["We are not siblings child, nor will we ever be."] Her captor's voice was hard, her grip firm as her master and the hound-man talked among each other about something. Picking at Clark's corpse like the carrion they were.

Even the nightmares were repulsed by them, keeping out of the general area the two of them stood.

"You can't agree with this, no child of our mother would approve of this. Please let me go, I can get my sister to free you."

Eyeless let out a mirthless laugh, ["I need your liberation like I need an axe to the back of my skull, little one. Do know I regret that this must happen."]

She regretted what must happen? "Then let me free, you know in your heart this is wrong."

Eyeless shook her head, ["I will fulfill my maven's will."]

"But what about your will? You're more than the tool of your maven!"

["More than my maven?"]

"Yes! Yes! Y-you are your own person. My sister's really smart, she can break you from that guile's chains and-"

["And what if my ambitions was to rid the world of each and every one of your misbegotten kin?"] She projected a smile on that unmoving face.

Olivia paled, was she really this cruel? To make light of her imminent death? Was this what she had to look forward to becoming? 

Her two captor's conversation became way more pointed, Milan becoming animated, stomping his foot on the ground. Olivia felt shame bubbling in her gut, one that felt... Far too familiar.

And then it hit her, that name, Prudence... that was her old name, wasn't it? Milan... was the one who made her his hammer, before Olim and Clark rescued her. He was going to make her that creature once again, he was going to make her eyeless like the sibling holding her right now.

"No! Let me go, let me go! I don't want to go back to that life! I don't want to-," Her sister tightened the grip she had on her. It became hard to speak, harder to breathe.

"Quiet girl, do not make this harder than it needs to be." Nylah said, her blade appearing in her hand.

"Hold a moment, Nylah, before you let a good specimen go to waste, imagine how much we could learn from her if we just peeled her back... slowly." Olivia felt she would lose her lunch right there, this had to be a nightmare. She had to still be in that barn nuzzled in that wonderful bundle of hay.

Nylah turned her head to the man, for a moment her sibling's hold on Olivia loosened, she was too busy looking at Milan with disgust. Maybe she was beginning to realize how wrong all of this was, maybe she-,

"I did not come here to help you play mad alchemist, either let me kill the thing and reclaim it or I'll set it free and be on my way." Tears began to well in Olivia's eyes, this wasn't what was meant to happen, she was meant to meet her brothers and sisters, to meet mother, to help people.

"Please! I-, I just began, please don't kill me, I want to live."

"I am sorry little one, I know you did not ask for this, if you wish to blame anyone, you can blame those who brought you into existence." Nylah said, jabbing the blade into her chest. A sharp pain and then in an instant it ended, everything began to go dark and she felt herself fading away. At least she could finally get a full night's rest.