Chapter Text
“She’s been in there a long time,” Alden whispered, flexing his fingers with nervousness. “One of us should go check…”
“No,” Tiergan told him, nodding at Sophie and Fitz. “Sophie’s the only one who can enter a broken mind. And the two of them have it covered.”
They both looked at Kenric —the only other Telepath in the room— who nodded. “I agree with Tiergan,” he told them. “We can’t put anyone else in danger, especially if we might accomplish nothing but distracting her.”
Alden nodded worriedly, though he still looked like he wanted to go check. Kenric put his hand on Alden’s shoulder, giving him a pointed look as he added, “Especially not you.”
Although he looked chastened, Alden agreed. Kenric still wasn’t sure whether he’d be content to just sit back and watch for the whole healing, especially if Sophie remained in there for too much longer. It had already been at least ten minutes, and Oralie hadn’t reported any change in Fintan’s emotional state. He felt itchy, like there was something wrong that he just couldn’t put his finger on, but maybe that was his paranoia talking.
Any minute now, it would come. The evil he’d been fearing and dreading for weeks would finally come to get him, and he’d see if all of his worries and preparations were in vain.
He just had to wait.
The silence was broken when Sophie shrieked, scrambling back from Fintan so quickly she nearly knocked Fitz over. Her eyes flew open, wide and afraid, and even as Fitz asked her what was wrong, it took her several seconds to answer.
Here it comes, Kenric thought, eying Fintan and waiting for him to get up and strike. He felt eerie about the fact that Oralie was standing right next to him, her hand on Fintan’s shoulder. But Kenric knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. He couldn’t tell what would happen to him when Fintan struck, but he knew his instincts would do just what his mind always had: Protect his girls.
“He was waiting for me,” Sophie whispered, glancing at Fintan with a fear that Kenric felt in himself. Although his stomach clenched at the fact that it was coming, whatever it was, part of him felt justified that she shared his fear. “I don’t understand,” she stammered, looking at the still-unconscious Fintan. “I—He…”
“You’re safe,” Fitz told her, gripping her shoulders. “He’s not even awake.” As he said the words, he looked at the others, as if trying to make sure he wasn’t the one imagining things. Kenric glanced at Fintan, whose skin was still so pale it was practically translucent, his eyelashes coated with ice as they lay limply against his skin.
“But he should be,” Sophie protested. “I brought him back and it was like he’d been waiting for me. He told me everyone was going to pay.”
Well, that didn’t sound good.
Tiergan glanced at Kenric, Alden, Terik, and Oralie in turn before moving to Fintan’s side. “Are you sure it wasn’t a memory?” He picked up Fintan’s arm and let it fall limply to the floor, which certainly didn’t seem like the reaction a man who was awake would have.
Sophie still looked scared, so Kenric reassured her. “He hasn’t moved this whole time. I was watching him closely, and nothing changed until you started screaming.”
“And I only felt the slightest shift in his mood,” Oralie added.
“Hmm.” Before Kenric could tell him to stop, Tiergan reached for Fintan’s temples. He tried to step out and pull him away, but Tiergan had no sooner closed his eyes than he’d ripped his hands away. “I can see his memories piecing themselves back together,” he said, fascination in his voice. “But his mind is very overwhelming.”
“How so?” Alden asked as he attempted to take a look for himself. But before he could, Tiergan grabbed his hands.
“I wouldn’t recommend it. Especially given your past experiences.”
Though Alden looked equal parts annoyed and chastened, he nodded. “Well, his mind was devestatingly shattered in the break. Perhaps it’s taking him longer to recover?”
Sophie sighed, rubbing her own temples. Kenric couldn’t ignore the way Fitz pulled her into him, concern on his face. But she didn’t seem to notice. “Then why was he able to threaten me?”
Tiergan seemed actually fascinated by the way Fintan was reacting to this, and Kenric couldn’t blame him. It was quite interesting to see what a healing really looked like, and his Telepath brain wanted to be fascinated. But he was too nervous, the clench in his stomach overcoming every other sensation.
Except for love.
He had to remind himself of that, or he’d never be able to make himself get through what was coming.
Tiergan lifted Fintan’s eyelids, revealing just the whites of his eyes. By all accounts, he looked like a dead man. “I’m not sure if it really was him. You said he seemed very prepared for the memory break before you performed it, right?”
Sophie looked at Alden, and they both nodded.
“Well,” Tiergan continued, “Then perhaps he built in certain defense mechanisms, and you inadvertently triggered one.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, Sophie nodded. “Then it’s safe to search his memories?”
Fitz, Terik, and Oralie all nodded, but the Telepaths —or at least, the Telepaths who had gone through all of their training— were more skeptical. “I’m not sure if safe is the right word,” Alden suggested. “Perhaps we should give it a bit more time?”
Instantly, Sophie looked just as worried as before, squeezing her hands so tightly her fingertips turned white. “But what if that was his plan? What if he left that message to frighten me away so he’d have time to destroy important memories?”
“I don’t know if the mind truly works that way,” Kenric came in, lightly pushing Alden out of the way to stand by Fintan’s side himself. The curiosity finally overcoming him, he brought his fingers up to Fintan’s temples. “But let’s see…”
As Kenric pushed his consciousness into Fintan’s mind, he had no idea what to expect. He’d only been in a broken mind once before, which was when the Vackers called him to investigate Sophie’s claims about Alden’s mind being broken. He’d never forget the desperation in Fitz’s eyes as he gripped onto Kenric’s sleeve, begging to see for himself. Kenric had barely lasted a few seconds before he nearly lost himself in the twisted mazes of Alden’s broken mind, only surviving because Emery had been there to drag him out.
So maybe this was a very bad idea.
But he needed to see what he was up against.
Normally, Kenric could quickly figure out how a mind was structured. Some were organized in concentric circles, and he had to dig to the center circle to find the memory he was searching for. Some were more like libraries, with organized sections making it really easy to find what he was looking for.
But Fintan’s mind was completely different. It was like a maze, with every corner he turned only leading to another, completely different path. He tried to keep track, following the warmth he could feel at the end. But the warmth ebbed and flowed, changing directions and intensities before he could blink. He ran in circles, feeling the mind getting both darker and hotter. He couldn’t see anything before he knew it, and what he was still in touch with in his physical body was beginning to sweat.
He was in there for always and no time at all, racing back and forth with growing anxiety. Slowly, as his senses began to dim, he could hear something. Voices. Memories . He rushed toward the voices… and immediately wished he hadn’t.
Hello there, Kenric.
The voice came from everywhere, and as Kenric tried to find where it was coming from, he was faced with Fintan’s unmistakable laughter.
Thought you’d gotten rid of me, did you?
Don’t make me hurt you, Fintan.
Fintan laughed again, almost sounding delighted. I’d like to see you try .
Instantly, Kenric was thrust back into the maze, feeling it swirling around him and getting hotter and hotter. He felt like he was being burnt alive, and with the remaining senses he had, he gasped and pulled himself free.
The concerned faces of Alden, Terik, and Tiergan were the first things he saw, and he was never so glad to see anybody. As he gained more control of his senses, he could sense his blaring headache, and stumbled back at the pain.
“Wow,” he whispered, wiping his brow. “His mind is a maze . I can’t…” His words trailed off as the weight of his headache hit him, and he groaned, rubbing his pulsing temples.
He hadn’t even noticed that she’d moved, but soon he felt a touch so familiar it soothed him in seconds. Oralie traced her finger across his forehead, and as Kenric breathed in her scent, her nearness, he remembered why he was doing all of this.
He couldn’t let her die.
But he also wanted this one last moment with her.
“Thanks,” he whispered, pressing his nose into her palm. I love you , he wanted to say, but there must have been part of him that realized they weren’t alone. “You always make everything better.”
And it was true. His life had meant nothing past circlets and jewels and the anger he carried within, before she’d made her way into it.
Oralie cradled his head, and he pressed a small kiss to her palm, not visible to anyone but them.
He was never sure whether it was Alden or Tiergan that cleared their throat, but someone did, and Oralie stepped back. Her cheeks were flushed pink, but Kenric tried not to be embarrassed.
“Sorry,” he said to no one in particular, ignoring the very pointed look Terik was giving him. He wanted to just pull her in and kiss her for all of them to see, but he knew that would embarrass her, and that would never do. So he simply straightened up, putting on the Councillor persona that he’d had to keep up for so long.
It really was ironic, that even in these, their last moments together, they couldn’t be who they truly were.
“I’ve never entered a mind so twisted before. I don’t know how you lasted so long in there, Sophie.”
“It wasn’t fun,” Sophie said, but she immediately moved back towards Fintan. “I have to go back.”
Again, Kenric admitted at how brave she was, and knew she’d gotten that from her mother.
“Not without me,” Fitz added, ever trying to be the gallant hero. “He’s healed now, right?”
“I don’t know what he is,” Tiergan came in, looking tempted to go back in, but resisting the urge. “You saw how he affected Kenric.”
“Yes, but Kenric’s a big softie,” Terik teased, nudging Kenric in the side. “Every time we take a vote, we can count on Kenric to vote for mercy.”
Kenric grinned sheepishly, though he knew compassion was nothing to be ashamed of. Oralie had taught him that. “That’s why I’m everyone’s favorite,” he quipped, hoping to cheer up Sophie. But she was still staring at Fintan, looking determined to go back in. “Well, second favorite,” he continued. “Empaths always win.”
Oralie blushed even harder, giving Kenric a look only he could recognize as appreciation.
“I’m sure I can handle it,” Fitz added, breaking the moment.
“And I applaud your bravery, son,” Alden said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I also understand your urgency, Sophie. But haste is never a wise course.”
“Neither is wasting time and overthinking things,” Sophie argued, crossing her arms.
“If it helps,” Terik added, unhelpfully, “I’m not picking up any potential for danger.”
“Actually, I find that rather more upsetting,” Alden came in, and Kenric was glad he’d picked up on the same thing.
“So do I,” Tiergan agreed.
“Me too,” Kenric added.
Terik sighed. “Are you doubting my abilities?” He’d complained about that before, and though Kenric trusted his Descrying, it was still not nearly as helpful in this situation as Telepathy, or even Empathy.
If anyone knew what it was like to have their abilities doubted, it was Oralie, and she seemed to be the only one on Terik’s side as she touched Fintan herself. “He’s feeling everything and nothing at once,” she pointed out. “Surely that could confuse your descrying.”
“Perhaps,” Terik agreed.
“It doesn’t matter,” Sophie said, her impatience dripping from her voice. “We all knew this was going to be dangerous. I still have to try.”
“I think you mean we ,” Fitz pointed out. “We have to try.”
“Fitz—”
“Who thinks Sophie should go back into the crazy mind maze without a guide?” Fitz asked, turning around to look at each person in turn. Kenric met his gaze, making sure Fitz knew he was on his side.
Alden looked like he might raise his hand, and so did Terik, but Kenric, Oralie, and Tiergan were more cautious. Kenric had never been a Cognate, but he was beginning to see the potential between Sophie and Fitz, and he knew how beneficial it was to work as a team.
Sophie looked from person to person, sighing when no one seemed to think she should go alone. “If something happens—”
“What if something happens to you ?” Fitz pointed out. “I can’t sit here uselessly anymore. You trust me, don’t you?”
Kenric had related to Fitz before —trying to protect a woman he cared about and being constantly shut down because of her stubbornness. But now, he felt like he just wanted to step forward and give him a hug. Fitz was under so much pressure trying to live up to the Vacker name. And it seemed like he was rarely given credit.
“I do, but…”
“You either trust me or you don’t.”
As Fitz stared at Sophie, Kenric looked over at Oralie. She trusted him, he knew that. But sometimes it felt like she didn’t. Especially as she stared at Sophie now, with the intensity and love only a mother could muster. It seemed so obvious, in the way she looked at her daughter. But yet she still hadn’t trusted him with the secret.
Sophie nodded, so briefly it was almost imperceptible.
And then she and Fitz closed their eyes, and Kenric knew it was almost time.
As the seconds crawled by, the adults didn’t say a word. Oralie glanced at Kenric, and an inexplicable expression of guilt ran across her face.
But then she jerked her head back to Fintan, her brow creasing as she ran her fingers over his temples.
“It’s starting,” she whispered, so soft they could barely hear her.
Slowly, Alden shifted closer to Terik, who put his hand on his shoulder. Tiergan put his hand on Terik’s shoulder, and Kenric joined with his hand on Tiergan’s. The four of them looked at Oralie, who gave a nod. As Terik reached out and touched Fintan’s arm, the three Telepaths all closed their eyes and joined the situation.
To be safe, they entered Fitz’s mind rather than Sophie’s or Fintan’s. Everything was a mess of heat and darkness, and as they ran around, trying to find him, his dim thoughts echoed through the dark landscape of his mind.
Everblaze , he was thinking.
Kenric dimly felt someone elbowing him in the side, and he snapped out of it, looking at Tiergan.
“Everblaze is one of their code words,” Tiergan explained, and Kenric gave a relieved nod.
“What does it mean?”
Tiergan gave Kenric a wry smile. “Brain push.”
“Only Sophie.”
“I think you three should stay out,” Terik suggested, nudging Alden, who opened his eyes like he was waking up from a dream. “It was several minutes before I could wake Tiergan up, and even longer before he could wake up Kenric.”
“Sorry,” Kenric apologized.
Tiergan merely smiled. “All these years later, and you’re still learning things from me. But I agree. The two of them have it covered.”
So all they could do was watch and wait, the uneasiness growing with every second. Kenric could hear his heartbeat, pounding in his ears like a beating drum.
This is it. This is it. This is it .
Everyone else was shifting their weight and watching the interaction uneasily, waiting for something to show them that the healing was actually working.
But while everyone else in the room was looking at Sophie, he was looking at Oralie.
Oralie, beautiful, brave Oralie, with her kindness and love radiating from every part of her. Oralie, who’d changed him from an arrogant brat into someone that he hoped would one day be worthy of her. Oralie, who he loved more than life itself, who he’d wanted so badly to have a life with, so much that he knew he’d never feel satisfied until they were both free.
He’d miss her, if he ended up in the afterlife, whatever that turned out to be.
But what really hurt was thinking how much she’d miss him.
She and Sophie would be together. And that was all that mattered.
As he had the thought, he heard both Oralie and Terik inhale a simultaneous breath. Terik scrambled back from Fintan, looking at him in horror. Oralie, on the other hand, frowned and placed her other hand on Fintan’s forehead as well— taking it off of Sophie and Fitz.
“What’s going on?” Alden asked her.
“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “He feels both defeated and prideful. And there’s something else, a sensation I can’t quite name. I’ve felt it once before, but I can’t quite remember where…”
As they waited for her to realize, she only frowned deeper.
“Want one of us to search your mind?” Kenric offered, though by one of us , he really meant me .
“No, I’ve almost got it.” Oralie squeezed her eyes shut, pressing her fingers so hard into Fintan’s skin that she left white marks. “I think it was…” Suddenly, her eyes flew open, her mouth breaking into a smile. “I’ve got it!”
“What?” Alden, Kenric, Tiergan, and Terik all asked in unison.
Instantly, Oralie’s smile vanished, replaced by dread as she too scrambled back from Fintan.
“Who’d you feel it from?” Kenric asked, a sour feeling growing in the pit of his stomach.
This is it. This is it. This is it.
This is it this is it this is it
Thisisitthisisitthisisit
Her voice was soft and trembling, wrought through with fear.
“Myself,” she whispered. “Right after I thought I lost Sophie. I’ve never felt so much despair in my life… and anger.” She looked at Fintan, her eyes widening with fear. “Until now.”
For a second, Kenric thought he was seeing things.
But he wasn’t.
Right at that moment, Fintan opened his eyes.
They were icy blue, and though he was a Pyrokinetic, the only word Kenric could think was cold .
Because they were.
Fintan’s eyes were so cold, he shivered, feeling the tightness in his stomach growing.
This
Is
It.
And then Fintan smiled.
“I’m back,” he whispered, his voice scratchy and hoarse from months of disuse.
“How do you feel?” Alden asked, and Kenric supposed he was the only one who really knew what it was like.
“I feel,” Fintan whispered, flexing his fingers, “Powerful.” A small flame sprouted from his fingertips, dancing across his hands, and his smile only grew. It stretched so wide that Kenric could have counted his teeth, and as the flame spread up his arm and across his torso, a low, gurgling sound began to emit from Fintan’s body.
It took Kenric a second to realize Fintan was laughing.
“JUMP BACK!” he shouted. The logical part of his brain knew this was probably a natural reaction to occur after having his ability suppressed for such a long time, but the part that trusted his dreams knew that it was much, much more than that.
Alden, Tiergan, Terik, and Kenric all jumped back, but Sophie, Fitz, and Oralie were on Fintan’s other side. There was nowhere for them to go. Oralie was watching the flames grow with an even mixture of fascination and fear, but the kids were both still trapped in his head.
Kenric felt a strange calmness spread across him. There was no more of the uncertainty from before. Just one simple task for him to achieve.
Save Oralie. Save Sophie.
Though Fintan was tied up with chains and bonds, Kenric saw how foolish that had been when the chains immediately melted. Fintan sat up, spraying melted chain all around him as he shook himself like a wet dog. The fire was everywhere now, running down Fintan’s back and through his hair and across his legs, and Kenric was just beginning to feel the heat. It hit him like a wave, and he gasped at its intensity.
“What do we do?” Tiergan shouted, looking more afraid than Kenric had ever seen him. He gripped Kenric’s arm with one hand and Alden’s with the other, pulling them back to the wall.
Alden resisted, but Tiergan was stronger than him, and he fought against his grip as he tried to get to his son. “We get Fitz and Sophie out of there!” The kids seemed to have no idea whatsoever what was going on, curious looks on their faces as they remained there, their eyes shut. Oralie was shaking both of them by the shoulders, but there were certain mental places only a Telepath could traverse.
“You three,” Kenric shouted, pointing at the three other men. “Get out of here. I’ll get Fitz and Sophie.” And Oralie .
“But-” Alden protested, but his complaints were cut off when Fintan stood up. He began to chant words Kenric couldn’t interpret, lifting his hands up to the skies. His eyes were crazed, gleaming as his words intensified in volume.
“I do not like the look of that,” Terik commented, unnecessarily.
He’d barely gotten the words out when the room started to rain with fire.
No— not just fire.
Everblaze .
Kenric had never seen the deadly fire up close, at least not uncontained, and he couldn’t help but stare in fascination for a second as he watched the fire lick up every traces of Fintan’s bonds. Fintan’s laugh only grew, embracing the fire raining on him like he was reuniting with a long-lost love.
But then his instincts kicked in.
Before anyone could hold him back, Kenric rushed to the other side of the room, slamming his body into Fitz and Sophie. They fell back, holding onto each other, and he immediately turned to Oralie.
She was ducking underneath a falling beam, just managing to jump out of the way.
And as she did, it knocked her circlet off her head.
An all too familiar scene.
He wasn’t thinking at this point, just working on instinct, and as he shoved her out of the way, he could see Oralie looking at him.
The fear in her eyes broke his heart.
Instantly, she dropped to her knees and started shaking both Fitz and Sophie. Kenric closed his eyes, shouting into Fitz's head as quickly and loudly as he could. A second later, Fitz’s eyes flew open, and he’d barely processed the situation for a second before he was joining Oralie.
“What are you doing?” Oralie screamed, turning to look at Kenric. “Get out of here!”
“Light leap!” Tiergan shouted, and Kenric could see Fintan turning his head at the voice. He lifted his hands, shooting a fireball in Tiergan’s direction. Tiergan managed to dodge it, but there was no telling whether he’d be that lucky the next time. The fireball hit the wall, spreading Everblaze all across the part of the room that had been safe before.
Someone had to stop him.
Someone had to buy them time.
“Leave, Oralie,” Kenric shouted, tossing her his pathfinder. His only method of escape.
“Not without you!”
Kenric just looked at her in that moment, wishing he could tell her everything he never had. He thought he had. But in this moment, he knew that infinite moments with her wouldn’t have been enough.
“Be brave, love,” he shouted. “Take care of Sophie. You both need each other more than either of you need me.”
Oralie just shook her head. “No. No, Kenric. Please, please don’t do this.”
The pleading in her voice tore at his heart, and he hated to think that this would be the last memory she had with him.
“I love you,” he told her. One last time. Just to make sure she knew.
Without waiting for a response, Kenric turned around. Fintan was just noticing that Sophie was still there, and he aimed his fire towards her.
It happened so quickly, Kenric couldn’t have talked himself out of it even if he’d wanted to.
He charged Fintan, slamming his palms into his chest. The pain from the fire was immediate and searing, instantly numbing Kenric’s hands. But he ignored the pain. He was saving Oralie, and that was all that mattered.
Fintan snarled, sending a ball of fire straight into Kenric’s chest. Kenric fell back, feeling the Everblaze working through his clothes, as “fireproof” as they were supposed to be.
But he didn’t stop. Fintan lifted his arm, forming a wall of Everblaze sealing the two of them in together. All Kenric could do was hope. Hope that Fitz could wake Sophie up. Hope that Tiergan and Terik and Alden could get out. Hope that Sophie and Oralie and Fitz would help each other escape. Hope that this wouldn’t break Oralie. That she and Sophie would be there for each other, finding what they deserved in each other.
All he could do was keep fighting Fintan, keeping him away from the people he loved.
As he began to lose touch with his senses, he charged Fintan over and over, slamming him into the wall, the floor, anything solid he could find. Everything he could sense was fire. Fintan was fire. Kenric himself was fire, and he felt it creeping all across his body. It was so hot and painful that he almost didn’t feel it, like his body didn’t register that he could actually feel this amount of pain.
Everything was heat, heat and fire and smoke, consuming him slowly enough that he could feel every agonizing second.
But there was something else, something that made him able to bear it.
Love.
Fintan slammed Kenric to the ground, pressing his body into the melting jewels. He could barely register the shape of Fintan’s hands, pushing into the burns on his shoulders as he pinned him down.
This
Is
It.
“You should know better than to mess with a Pyrokinetic, Councillor,” Fintan whispered as he stood up, brushing himself off like he’d just won a fight in a schoolyard. “If you hadn’t, you’d still be alive.”
Then Fintan left, vanishing before his eyes. He couldn’t tell whether he was just losing control of his vision, or whether everyone else would have to face Fintan in the days to come.
But whatever the case, he supposed it was only right that, in the end, he was alone.
He lay there, waiting for it. Waiting for the end.
But strangely, he didn’t feel sad.
He’d saved Oralie. He’d saved Sophie.
And that made it all worth it.
Kenric couldn’t be sure whether he transmitted the words or just thought them.
I love you, Ora.
And as his vision blacked out and he began to see white, the pain overtaking his body, he had the strength to transmit one final word.
Goodbye.
Kenric’s body went limp, and he floated away, floated to a world that didn’t have Oralie in it.
And the fire kept burning.