Chapter 23

Ulx leads them up his tower. A clambering journey for all without the ability to fly or hover but to Lavinia's relief, it's a silent climb all the way back to the top where Ulx, Seraph and the Jonn usher into a wide, spacious room.

"Make yourselves comfortable." Ulx says, hovering all the way to the top of the ceiling where shelves as tall as the walls stand full of scrolls and books. He pulls a scroll from its place amongst others and descends to another section, inspecting it with idle hums.

Seraph's low growling is largely ignored, her waning patience and full attention presses on the evasive Trirax darting about the room. Jonn lingers around Seraph, almost clinging to her side as even Lavinia's footfalls send jolts through him— much to Seraph's annoyance.

Wandering much the same as Ulx, Lavinia explores the room finding the tall, opposing shelves of scrolls and books a marvel. Sliding one out of its place and sidestepping the cascade of scrolls tumbling out after it, Lavinia unfurls it as Ulx did in Deran's Litter. Words of another language scribble across the parchment much to her disappointment, its ideas and powers lost on her.

"Hey! Don't mess around with that." Seraph warns, her eye narrowed at Lavinia.

Not bothering to cast even a sideways glance at the Trirax, Lavinia sorts through the scrolls scattered at her feet, unfurling them one at a time for another dose of disappointment as all are written in the same odd language. She stops unfurling as a realization reaches her.

What language is this?

She questions her own tongue rather than the scribbles of the scroll. Before Lucy, her thoughts were voiced by intent and desire rather than anything else and afterwards she spoke in the same tongue as Lucy and Ken— she understands the Trirax as well as Deran so they must all share the same language, right?

Before she can decide what to tell herself, the rest of the room catches her attention. Seraph and Jonn stand and sit by a long, wide and strong looking table. Walking up to it Lavinia spots a thin book with its pages spread open and with screws at the edge of the covers, pinning it to the table. An ink and quill lay beside it and the words written are the first to have some meaning—

"Costs...ability...Crimson Trirax…thirty…incoming shipments—"

Seraph slams her hand over the book, glaring intently, "That's for Trirax eyes only."

"Actually, that's for my eyes only." Ulx corrects overhead, still sorting through his library of scrolls. "Play nice, Seraph."

Seraph continues to growl as Lavinia simply walks away to explore more of the room. Ulx keeps a tidy abode, the floors are smoother than the sanded streets or the rough gravel stairs— the correct word escapes her for the moment so she shifts her attention to the wall on the right-hand side of Ulx's large table and screwed in book.

The wall supports a grey metal sheet with a little bronze knob and an all too familiar slit in the middle. Lavinia turns the knob and to little surprise finds the very cages she sat in for days, right beside Ulx's table, embedded directly into his office.

Keeping it shut, Lavinia turns to the marvel she's saved for last— the window behind Ulx's table. Fractured with trails of metal curve around to form an image of an eye, the window overlooks more than Corym, more than the Trirax in the markets and settlements below— it faces off with the two other imposing towers. Pressing her hands over the window Lavinia stares in awe as the other two stare back, exuding an energy of challenge and rivalry. 

"Please can you stop avoiding this?" Seraph pleads with Ulx, interrupting his reading so a scroll tumbles out of his grip and clatters to the floor. "She killed Neibor, drained me of blood three times over and…and…she made Jonn a fuck!"

"Hey!"

"What? It's the truth. You can barely stand being here with her and all she did was chase you!"

"It was worse than that! I'd made a tactical decision to retreat and as much as I'd have loved to have you with me then—"

"Oh as if, you saved your hide that's all you need to say, don't bother defending whatever…this is." Seraph groans at Jonn with disgust. "This is why I should've led the mission, the squad even!"

"Oh enough screaming Seraph, I can hear you fine." Ulx says.

Crossing her legs over the table Seraph's sneer deepens, "Can you? I wouldn't bet on it with you all the way up there!"

Ulx groans and finally descends behind his table. Arms tied behind his back he glances at Lavinia breathing over the glass and shakes his head, "Seraph, you're a Crimson tier and despite all the advantages that gives you over a Pinkie, that wasn't enough to defeat her, or was it?"

Pouting, Seraph crosses her arms, "Technically I did, lured her here didn't I?"

Lavinia idly corrects as she stares out the window at the forest and Stelc tramping around, "I meant to come."

Having about enough, Seraph kicks out of her chair and marches over to Lavinia, "Oh really? And what for? Tell Ulx what you told me."

Ulx dips his quill in ink and pulls his sleeve back to write, "You already told me what she said back then, but we've met and she's behaved herself thus far. Seraph, I don't understand why you can't see the potential here or even the need. The need is glaring."

"I do see the it but I don't think letting a wild Vampiric into our house is the best way to protect ourselves. Level me up to mid-Crimson tier and let me command an actual squad for our missions, I'll bring you results, I'll be the name in Corym if you just—"

"No, Seraph, that's enough. Trirax aren't battle demons."

"What! All demons are battle demons."

He slams his fists against the table, "Well, not us! We're not as powerful even at the highest tiers. How much effort do you think it would take the [Kimpe] to push us out of Corym if they wanted to? Or the [Caldri]? And those are our allies, supposedly anyway. We need a protector and chaffing valuable ESQ down a Trirax won't make us one."

"That's what you think." Bitterly, Seraph falls back to her seat, ignored by Lavinia and Ulx. Jonn attempts to console her only to recoil at her glare.

With a heavy sigh Ulx glances at Lavinia then back at Seraph, "I know how much this means to you but you're not ready to carry all of the Trirax on your shoulders. Chaperone Lavinia until she recovers, feed her-"

Seraph's back on her feet in an instant, "No! First you want me to roll over and now-"

"Feed her." An intense pressure leaks into the room as Ulx restrains a growl. "Clothe her and teach her all that matters. If you want to contribute to our security so bad, then ensure the demon we're bargaining with understands what she's protecting and how. Do it and don't complain, another word of it and I'll strip you of rank, you'll go back to civilian."

While they argue, Lavinia stares into her blurred reflection on the window. Beyond the mud dried shawl adorning her, Lavinia's full mane and pointed ears draw the most attention, but not as much as the array of dark scars on her face. Short, dark curves mark her face all over where Henry made the Soul Bond. Three scar in a vertical line on each cheek and another two sit above her eyebrows, leaning over to her temple. Would they disappear with Henry's death? Or could she carve them off?

Catching her dull red eyes in the faded reflection, Lavinia's reminded why she's here and turns to Ulx, "Essence, when?"

He raises a hand to silence Seraph and answers, "With any luck, not too soon, but Corym is on alert. Only the Trirax were attacked and robbed but we've been expecting an attack long before so you'll get your chance. For now, work with Seraph, listen to what she says. Can you do that?"

Lavinia growls but nods, looking back at her reflection. It's only a few more days before her arm returns in full and she could use the break from the wild, from violence.

The city glows with littered wicks of flame as the red sky dims to a dark red and the forest grows restless beyond the swamp. Henry will return for her someday, somewhere and possibly when she least expects it. Until then she continues to prepare and Corym or at least, Ulx seems like the right place to start.