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After another night in their now unquestionably overcrowded apartment, they were all a little on edge.
After much arguing, Myriam had reluctantly spent the night on the couch, with Yaden and Colin back in their own bed and Ivan on a makeshift pallet on the living room floor. Myriam had been close to tears again over taking Ivan's couch and only after he insisted that he preferred to sleep on the floor next to her – to better guard her against any and all dangers – had she finally agreed. Colin was almost as proud as Yaden of how well Ivan had handled that. Myriam seemed quite taken with Ivan, asking him shy questions about how he controlled his fire and watching with awed concentration when he showed her some tricks. Colin could see that Ivan was feeling overwhelmed by having to deal with a child, but he was hiding it well enough for Myriam not to notice, though his patience with her and himself ran out quickly.
Breakfast had been a short affair, and afterwards everyone had fled the apartment as quickly as possible. Since Ivan was forbidden from using psionics, Yaden decided today's training would consist of mundane combat, with Ivan teaching Yaden for a change. Darios left only minutes after them to head into town and get more groceries. He suggested taking Myriam along to look for some proper clothes in the Downtown shops , but Myriam looked as though she were being asked to face a giant scribba. Darios quickly amended that it could wait until she felt a little safer or until Yaden and Ivan could come along.
With only Colin and Myriam remaining in the house, Colin drafted the girl into helping him with his baking. She was clueless, never having done anything like it before, but a quick study and very capable at finding the information she needed in Colin's baking books. In no time, she was preparing the correct amounts of ingredients for him to mix and putting dough pieces on the sheets in perfect rows. They were working in quiet unison together, when they were interrupted by a knock on the apartment's door.
Covered in flour, Colin wanted to ask Myriam to get the door, but looking at how she stood frozen, her hands stuck in a bowl of dough, he thought better of it.
Opening the door, he found an unexpected but welcome visitor, Lady D'rina, the wife of Lotus Knight Sir L'jao and their next-door neighbour. Like her husband, she was a N'Ptalini. She had been a helpful friend to Colin since he had first arrived on Emperor's Island, gently easing him into what it meant to be the boyfriend or spouse of a Lotus Knight – what social obligations were actually important and which could safely be ignored even when pompous courtiers insisted they were absolutely vital. Without her supportive presence, Colin probably wouldn't have survived Yaden's mission on Bora Bora even with Darios having to physically smack some sense into him. She had spent hours sitting at his tiny kitchen table, drinking tea and patiently listening to him whine. Having someone to talk to who shared his perspective was priceless. Especially as said someone was so very different from his neighbours on Leichnam – where talking to each other at all was squinted at – whereas N'Ptalini customs were built on the foundation of community and mutual assistance.
D'rina smiled at his familiar, slightly dishevelled look. “Good morning, my dear,” she greeted him and placed a dainty kiss on his cheek, which was an integral part of most courtly interactions and which Colin was trying to master. She also managed not to get any flour on her light-green robes somehow. She was an exceptionally beautiful N'Ptalini with dark-green skin, cream-coloured striations, and long, graceful quills so black they looked like spilled ink. The PR team loved putting her on magazine covers as a charity ambassador for a variety of causes all over Lagoona.
Right now, she was carrying a large bundle of clothes. She didn't give him a chance to return her greeting.
“I hear you have taken in an orphan and I thought I should drop by and offer my help. I looked through our wardrobes and found some clothes my daughters wore when they were the girl's age. I kept them, back then, because we weren't sure whether we would have another child. I think they will do well until you can get her things of her own.” She held out the bundle to Colin, who hesitated in accepting it.
“I'm not sure...”
She shook her head. “Colin, don't be silly. There is no way my girls will be needing them.” Which was true because both of them were in their early twenties now. “And if they were here, they would insist as well. They are freely given. Use what fits and bring back the rest.”
That answered just about all of Colin's doubts, so he took the bundle. “Would you like to come in and...”
“...meet her?” D'rina's eyes sparkled with mirth as she looked past him and Colin heard a quick shuffle as someone moved away towards the kitchen. “I don't think she is ready to receive visitors yet.” Her warm smile returned to Colin. “It's a brave and wonderful thing to take in a child in need like this. You are doing good, dear. If you need anything else at all, please don't hesitate to come over and ask.”
Colin wasn't sure whether Lady D'rina's voice held a hint of admonishment. He probably was imagining it because he felt he deserved it. Of course, he should have immediately asked for her help when Myriam had dropped into their little household. Luckily, it had taken her only a day to find out by herself.
“I will,” he promised. “I'd offer you some pastries in return for your donation...”
“...but Yaden and Ivan ate everything you had,” D'rina finished for him. “Don't worry about it. I will feel adequately compensated when you make those tiny sugar cookies again and have a few for me.”
“I shall protect them from their insatiable maws and not rest until I have safely delivered them into your hands personally.”
D'rina accepted his hammy theatricality with a warm chuckle. She gave him another of her dainty kisses and left, disappearing around the corner of the building towards her own apartment. Colin felt a tiny bit envious of how she looked as though she were gracefully gliding in her long robes, but if he was honest with himself, it wasn't a style of movement that would have suited him anyway.
He was about to close the door when another voice called out to him.
“Master Barley?” A friendly man was coming up the path to the dormitory, smiling and waving at Colin cheerfully.
“Yes?”
“Man, am I glad to have found you. Emperor's Island can be such a maze.” When he reached Colin, he offered his hand in greeting and they shook. “Name's Doctor Lachlain. The Psions Guild sends me to check on little Myriam. We've been so worried about her, the poor thing.”
The Psions Guild? Yaden despised the Psions Guild and didn't trust them one bit. But surely that didn't apply to the Doctor, he seemed so kind and genuinely worried.
“She has been through a lot, yes.” Colin gestured invitingly into the apartment. “Would you like to come in?”
“Yes, thank you.” Doctor Lachlain followed Colin to the kitchen, where Myriam was half-hiding behind the doorframe. She tensed up at a stranger coming in, but quickly relaxed when Doctor Lachlain smiled at her. “Myriam, dear, I am so glad to see you unharmed.” He walked up to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked almost dazed with relief.
“Hello, Doctor.”
“You know each other?” Colin asked the obvious question.
Doctor Lachlain nodded. “Yes, we do. Right, Myriam? In fact, I have been working with her family for a long time. Such a sad, terrible story. I blame myself for not intervening sooner and more decisively when I noticed their downward spiral. But I will do better by Myriam.”
“I'm sure you will.” What a nice person and so professional and caring at the same time.
“I promise she will be well cared for within the Guild. We have great specialists who can help her overcome the trauma and learn how to control her talents.”
Professionals like Doctor Lachlain. Myriam would be okay with him.
Just ... he couldn't let them leave like that, could he?
“Can I offer you a cup of tea?” Colin wasn't entirely sure where that question had come from, but it was the least he could do.
The Doctor frowned for a moment, but his warm smile was back in place immediately. “Thank you, that is very kind. But we should get going. After all, Myriam has been a burden to you for long enough already, hasn't she?”
Colin felt a small stab of pain at that notion. Things had been a little cramped, yes, but Myriam had never been a burden. “Not at all. She is welcome here.”
Again that little frown on Doctor Lachlain's face. “Yes, of course.”
“I will go and pack her things,” Colin added, smiling at Myriam who was standing next to the Doctor with that dazed look. Surely Myriam wouldn't want to leave without her lizard plushie. And her toothbrush. And maybe a few of the cookies she had helped bake. And anyway, why was he in such a hurry? That couldn't be good for Myriam.
“We should be going,” Doctor Lachlain insisted.
Was there something he had overlooked? Colin tried to focus, but there was that stab of pain again, as if something was poking at his brain, so strong he actually reached up and touched his brow.
The Doctor needed to be on his way. It wasn't polite to keep him waiting and Myriam wanted to go as well.
Why should she want to go with him? She was happy here, safe.
She really wanted to go with the doctor.
“Hey, darlings, I'm back! Seems physical training wasn't such a good idea for Ivan either...” Yaden walked right in and stopped in his tracks. “What the...?”
“Sir Yaden, we were just leaving,” Doctor Lachlain turned to Yaden, his smile a little forced.
Yaden's reaction wasn't at all what Colin would have expected. His fiancé dropped into his combat stance, feet planted wide, arms stretched out and humming with power. “Who the fuck are you and what are you doing to my family?” Yaden snarled.
Lachlain jerked, his full attention shifting to Yaden.
Instantly, the pain in Colin's head vanished, along with the ridiculous idea of letting that stranger take Myriam – and what had he been thinking letting someone from the Psions Guild into his home in the first place?
He turned to Myriam to reassure her, but she was already bolting past first him and then Yaden, quick as a hare on the run having broken free of Lachlain.
The Doctor’s ever-reassuring smile disappeared, replaced by sudden fear. “You will let me...” But he didn't finish and instead blinked at Yaden in plain panic. And then he vanished, the air popping into the space he had occupied a split second ago.
“What...?” Yaden started to ask, but Colin gestured after Myriam.
“He tried to take her. Go after her!”
Yaden obeyed instantly, much to Colin's relief. His lover was without a doubt the best-qualified person to find and reassure Myriam. Colin took a deep breath, trying to gather himself and figure out what had happened. The Doctor had manipulated him, probably with psionics. Was he working with the Guild at all? The bastard had waited until Colin was alone with Myriam to make his move. Because, of course Yaden would be able to shield himself. Colin snarled at the empty spot where Doctor Lachlain had stood. They'd been lucky Yaden had come back early.
From outside, a loud shout followed by the sound of something large falling down and a clatter drew his attention. He obviously had more important things to do than stand here and feel sorry for himself.
Running outside, he didn't at first spot anything out of the ordinary the thick vegetation hindering his view, so he followed the ongoing noise.
The first signs of chaos he found was a Ruby Guard sitting dazed inside the ruins of a small, decorative wooden pavilion. Both the guard and the pavilion looked singed, but the pavilion had clearly been damaged by the guard falling into it. He was shaking his head, his armour and shield having absorbed most of the damage, so Colin ignored him and hurried on. There were a few more singed bushes along the way, but nothing was outright burning, due to the high humidity. Next, he came to one of the bigger pavilions and found the wooden canopy collapsed, buried under earth, and smouldering underneath. Yaden putting out the fire, Colin guessed. Another pair of Ruby Guards came running down another path, so Colin left the smouldering wreckage to them.
He was definitely catching up with the commotion. They were now getting close to the centre of the Lotus Compound, where the main pavilion stood and lots of people worked. People who were in danger.
“Nononono! He killed Mama!” Myriam was screaming somewhere around the next bend of the path. Her scream was followed by a loud 'whoosh', and, even through the dense vegetation, Colin could see the red glow of massive amounts of fire.
He ran around the bend and stopped in his tracks. Myriam stood at a crossing of several paths, small and scared but frightening at the same time, her hair wreathed in a halo of bright red flames. An obviously improvised, smoking wall of earth shielded two more Ruby Guards to her right while Yaden stood between her and Colin.
From the left, three more guards rushed onto the scene. Yes, the Ruby Guard was one of the best in the Empire, charged with guarding the Imperial Family and Emperor's Island. But in this case, their instantaneous reaction wasn't helping. The girl needed someone to calm her down, not to subdue her. Naturally, Myriam turned to the new threat and a wave of fire rushed at the guards. Yaden threw up his hands and the earth between Myriam and the three guards followed the motion, forming another makeshift wall, but this time, the wave of flame didn't reach it.
As though reality had been torn open, a sheet of utter blackness opened before the flames and swallowed them with complete nonchalance. It was so alien and terrifying, Colin had to look away from it. Wisely, the Ruby Guards didn't come closer to Myriam and when Colin looked again a heartbeat later, the pitch-black tear had disappeared without a trace.
In front of him, Yaden was already moving towards Myriam, entirely undaunted by her display of power and her fear. “I'm here, love. I chased him away and if he comes back I will crush him to a pulp. I have sworn to protect you and I will not let him, or anyone else take you.”
Myriam focused on him, her eyes huge and panicked. She was trembling, the halo of flames around her head flickering unsteadily.
“You are safe with me. You will always be safe with me,” Yaden continued. He was almost close enough to reach for her.
With a sudden sob, Myriam's fire went out and she threw herself into Yaden's arms, crying so hard that her whole body shook. Yaden wrapped himself around her, shielding her from view, the world, and danger. Colin drew a deep breath, overwhelmed by how much he loved Yaden and the realisation of how closely they had avoided anyone getting seriously hurt.
“What a hot little thing,” a voice said right next to Colin, nearly startling him out of his skin.
Somehow, Yaden's friend and colleague Sir Haakon had sneaked up on Colin and was looking at Myriam and Yaden with an impressed expression.
His words registered next and Colin felt a short flash of outrage at Haakon thinking that way about Myriam. Then he remembered how much trouble Haakon had with idioms, that he meant things literally, and, in this particular context, he was not wrong. So it had been Haakon who had captured the flame wave in a sheet of void – the manipulation of which was his own particular talent. Tremendously useful, but the void could and would swallow all it touched, never giving back anything, and having something like that manifested this close to his family gave Colin gooseflesh all over.
On the other hand, living in the Lotus Compound had the definite advantage of a high density of Lotus Knights who were equipped to deal with the most outlandish problems.
The Ruby Guards were carefully skirting Yaden and Myriam and walking up to Colin and Haakon. “Sir, do you require any assistance?” they asked Haakon respectfully.
“Me? No?” Haakon blinked at them in complete consternation, missing that they were asking generally and not about him personally.
“Sir Yaden has the situation under control,” Colin came to his aid. “But you should check whether anything is on fire. And a bit further back, there was one of your comrades who was hit, you may want to check on him.”
He was saluted crisply. “At once, Master Barley.”
Even after living on Emperor's Island for over half a year now, it startled Colin that all the Ruby Guards seemed to know his name. It was happening less and less, but sometimes he wondered when someone would realise he was just a baker from a tiny village on Leichnam and kick him out as the imposter he was. Only – he wasn't. He'd soon get married to a Lotus Knight and become a noble. A fucking Quetzal to boot. It was unreal, but that didn't keep it from happening.
“Who's the kid?” Haakon asked, curious and guileless.
“Her name is Myriam,” Colin answered. “We've taken her in while Yaden is trying to find out what happened to her parents.” And apparently, his hunch to keep digging had been exactly right. Something was incredibly fishy when someone tried to steal the child right from under their noses.
“Oh, so it's a mission.” Haakon nodded like that explained everything. And maybe to him, it did. Lotus Knight missions were famous for sharply veering off into the unexpected and outright weird.
Yaden was picking up Myriam, who clung to him like a desperate barnacle and hiding her face against his chest. He took a moment to survey the damage and when he spotted Colin and Haakon he came over to them. The expression on his face was new to Colin. Stony, cold. It took Colin a long moment to realise that his lover was furious and only barely keeping his rage in check. It would have been scary if it hadn't been directed at those who had threatened their little family. As it was, Colin found it very comforting.
With Myriam in his arms, Yaden couldn't reach out to his husband-to-be, but briefly touched his brow against Colin's. “Are you alright?”
Colin nodded. “I think so.” He didn't feel any after-effects of whatever it was the Doctor had done to him – apart from anger at how easily he had been manipulated.
Yaden slowly walked back towards their home. Colin followed and Haakon trailed along as well, making Colin feel secure. Nobody in their right mind would attack two Lotus Knights.
“Tell me what happened,” Yaden asked.
To anyone else, it would have seemed like he was all professional and calm, but Colin could tell how much Yaden wanted to rush off and smash something. Or – more precisely – someone.
“He said his name was Doctor Lachlain and that the Psions Guild sent him to pick up Myriam,” Colin said. “He somehow got me to believe that it was perfectly alright. Only ... I don't know ... it seemed wrong ... and when he repeated it, my head started hurting.”
“Suggessor?” Haakon guessed. “It's a specialised type of telepath. They twist the thoughts and feelings of others.”
“Probably,” Yaden agreed.
Myriam was hanging on him like a dead weight, and Colin was surprised to see that she was half-asleep.
Yaden noticed his look. “She's not trained to use psionics at all. She's a cerebral so she gets very tired after expending this much energy.” He hugged her closer. “Which is a good thing. Sleeping is the best thing now for her to recover and dampen the panic.”
They reached the dormitory, Yaden carried her inside and tried to deposit her on the couch but she clung to him sleepily, so he sat down with her. “It's okay. I'm here. You're safe,” he murmured to her.
Colin watched them, feeling stupid and useless. He hadn't been able to protect Myriam. He had tried to resist, but if Yaden hadn't shown up, he would have let that man walk out with her. He wanted to hug her like Yaden did, but didn't feel he deserved to.
The beeping of the timer reminded him that there were cookies in the oven. It showed him how little time had passed. Gritting his teeth, he turned away and towards the kitchen. That at least was one thing he was reasonably good at – baking.
He found Haakon in the kitchen, curiously peering at the forgotten baking sheets and bowls of dough. He turned off the timer, pulled out the cookies, and put the next sheet in, clinging to the normality of the familiar actions.
“Cookie?” he offered to Haakon.
“No, thanks. I'm not into sweets. Or food in general, much.” Haakon cocked his head, now peering at Colin with the same curiosity he had held before for the sheets and doughs. “Did I do something wrong? You look very angry.”
“What? No.” Now he was even failing at being a decent host.
“Oh, okay. Usually when people around me look like that, I've missed some vital social clue again and terribly offended them,” Haakon explained, looking relieved. “So you're angry at the suggessor?”
“Yes. No.” Colin rubbed his face, disarmed by Haakon's guileless puzzlement. “I'm angry at myself. I failed at protecting Myriam.”
“That makes no sense. You should be angry at the person who tried to harm you, not at yourself.”
In Haakon's strange worldview that probably made perfect sense. Though he did have a point.
“Also, it is unrealistic to expect yourself to be able to resist a trained suggessor when you have never learned how to do so.”
“Yeah, but I can't learn that.”
“I don't understand.” Haakon had that innocently puzzled look down pat.
“I'm not a psion. Just an ordinary baker.” Colin felt like kicking the oven and his doughs and everything in the kitchen. What use was it all?
“How does that keep you from learning to shield yourself? Anyone can learn that. All personnel of the Lotus Compound gets at least the starter training.”
Colin blinked at him stupefied. “They can? They do?”
“Yes?” Haakon frowned. “Or is it a baker thing? The two trainings not mixing well?”
He was so adorable, Colin had to chuckle. “No, I don't think so. I ... it hasn't come up so I haven't... But I should.” He so would. If Yaden and Ivan could train until they dropped dead, so could he, until he was able to resist anyone trying to mess with his mind or his family and shoot them in the face. He also needed to look into acquiring a blaster and learning how to fire it. After all, any noble knew how to do that, right?
“Oh, cool.” Haakon smiled brightly. “I made you smile. That's awesome.”
“Yeah. Yeah, it is. Thank you, Haakon.” Maybe Yaden's friend was a little strange, and Colin didn't want to get a closer look at his apocalyptic powers, but his skills at cutting through the bullshit to get to the core of a problem were priceless.
“Colin?” Yaden called from the kitchen door. Moments later, he was beside Colin, wrapping him in the same kind of protective embrace in which he had held Myriam. “I'm sorry I wasn't here,” he muttered into Colin's shoulder. “I should have taken precautions. Something.”
Colin hugged him back, realising Yaden felt just as helpless despite his immense powers. “You couldn't have known that bastard would walk right in here and try to take her,” he told Yaden softly but firmly. “And you chased him right off and calmed down Myriam before she could do any real damage. You did everything right.”
Yaden huffed. “You are kind of biased.” He did relax, though, and let go of Colin. “I need to go see Commander Hamilton. I'm sure he wants to know why his compound is smouldering and slightly dug up. And I very much want to know how this could have happened in the first place.”
He was angry, Colin could see, but he had a tight grip on his rage, channelling it into action.
“Haakon, could you stay here with Colin and Myriam?” Yaden turned to his friend. “At least until Ivan comes back from med bay? He shouldn't be long. I don't think that guy will come back right now, but I'm not willing to take any chances either. So if someone comes in here again and tries to steal Myriam or manipulate Colin, you kill them.”
“Sure thing.”
“Capture them,” Colin corrected, “so we can ask them questions. Because I have questions.” The amount of venom in his own words startled him.
Haakon shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably. “I'm not particularly good at capturing people, but I'll do my best,” he promised earnestly. Considering his powers, Colin didn't want to know what happened to those people he did not capture.
“Will you be alright?” Yaden asked, turning back to Colin. His concern was sweet. What Colin really wanted was to say no, to ask him to stay, to sit with Myriam, even though she was asleep, and to be there, because with Yaden between them and danger, there was nothing that could possibly harm them. But he didn't. He wasn't a Lotus Knight with awesome powers, but he could be brave enough to let Yaden go deal with the real monsters out there.
“Yes.” He grabbed Yaden by the front of his shirt and pulled him in for a quick kiss. “Bring me their heads, whoever they are.”