Chapter 12.

Aeiln was staring wistfully out the window, her mind in a cloud until a series of light, rapid knocks sounded on the wooden door.

"You know, I find it strange that I should have to knock in order to enter my own bedroom, but would you mind letting me in?" Talon called from outside the door.

"You can come in. It is your house," she answered, not even turning around to converse with him.

"It really isn’t, but okay then," he said, opening and closing the door behind him. "I... sorry for attacking you earlier. No offense to you, but I thought you were one of Them, especially because you had Gavin with you. You have to realize I'm not exactly used to visitors around here..." he reached his hand back, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Anyways, I'm sorry. I understand that you two are being chased by Them, and if you need to take shelter here, that's fine with me. Anyways, I’m Talon." He reached out his hand, expecting her to shake it back.

Aeiln finally turned to face him, accepting his hand and shaking it. Then, letting go she continued to say, "It's fine. A lot of people think I am one of Them. I'm used to getting attacked. Thank you for the apology." Only about half of it was true, but Gavin wasn't there to say otherwise. Poor Talon would never know the difference. Sometimes it was better that way, at least in her experience.

"Anytime," he smiled, and Aeiln noticed that his eye wrinkled with the gesture. "Anything I can get for you, or help you out with? I'm afraid that I don't have much but... you know what they say," he glanced around the room. "Yeah, it isn't much."

Aeiln was about to answer, when Gavin came into the room, glancing warily between the two of them. "{Wow Aeiln, I'm surprised with you. You didn't kill him on the spot. Well done,}" he joked, not seeing the terrified look on Talon's face.

"So... May I ask why you're being chased by the Inquisitors?" Talon inquired, taking a seat on the bare, moth-eaten mattress on the opposing side of the room. "Gavin, not to sound obsessive, but I already know about you. But, Aeiln, was it? What about you?"

"I am an Angel-Demon hybrid. I have full control over both sides of my power, and have been getting chased since I was young." Her tone was terse and snippy, and while Gavin could tell that she wasn't actually mad, she came off as haughty and abrasive, and he glanced at Talon, hoping he wouldn't be taken aback.

"{Yeah, sure. Full control alright. We're just not going to mention that outbreak in the woods or anything,}" Gavin laughed. "{And what about you Talon. How are you even alive?}"

"Angel and Demon! Is that even possible?" Talon cried, but, seeing the look from Aeiln, he continued, "Okay, stupid question. As for me... um, I'm a dragon Devoln, and I, uh, killed my parents when I was younger before they could kill me."

"Obviously it’s possible," Aeiln snapped, but it seemed to Gavin that her mind was occupied with something else. Without a word, she got up and left the room.

Subconsciously, Gavin gasped, "{What? How could you do that?}" which in turn made Talon flinch back, obviously upset. Gavin had meant to ask how it was possible for a newborn to kill full-grown adults, but it had come out the wrong way. “{Not with Aeiln, I mean. You, and you’re parents. It just seems rather strange.}”

*{You could almost say it sounds impossible,}* Eldrazi thought, with a disbelieving tone that Gavin found unfair, considering that they had only just met.

"It wasn't me. When the Inquisitor went to kill me with the knife, Garnet used shadowmagik through my body to possess them. He used the stake against my parents, then himself. Please don't take it the wrong way. He's not evil, he just thought it was necessary... for both of us."

"All right then.” Gavin ended the subject, sensing that Talon was getting uncomfortable. "I’ll go see where Aeiln went. I'll be right back." Talon simply nodded as Gavin made his way outside. Sticking out his tongue, he followed her scent into the woods to find her seemingly waiting.

“What are you doing out here?” he inquired

“I could hear Alasdair for a moment,” Aeiln responded. “I’m waiting to see if he comes here. “I’m just worried. He’s done so much for me, and I just want to know if he’s all right. You don’t have to wait out here with me. It’s been a long night, so just ask Talon if there’s a spot you can sleep for the night.”

Gavin didn’t bother to argue with her. It was late, and the only thing he wanted to do now was to see if Talon would be willing to share some food and sleep. Once in the house, he only seemed happy to oblige, and he sat at the three-legged table, swirling water around in a stone cup, watching it change into a darker shade. It definitely wasn’t the cleanest place, but he couldn’t really complain. He was just about to ask Talon to stop staring at him, when he started shouting, "Gavin! They have Aeiln. It is an actual Inquisitor this time, in the robes and everything!"

"What? Are you sure?" Talon nodded.

*How did they capture her so easily?*

Grabbing his bow, he watched as Talon glowed a faint red as he slipped into his other form, balling up his hands and sending another ball of flame out of the broken window when he realized just who the 'Inquisitor' was.

"{Talon, no!}"

Aeiln looked up and her eyes widened, the orange light reflecting in their irises. Alasdair took one look at the fire before calmly catching it in his own hand, holding it in the palm of his hand as he glanced around for the source.

"By the gods..." Talon gasped.

"{Yeah, that's Alasdair, Aeiln's brother. Not to worry though, he is on our side,}" Gavin explained. "{On a side note, it would probably be in your better interest to not attack him. Sorry Alasdair!}" he called out the window. He still wasn't sure whether Alasdair even liked him or not, but at least he wasn't going to kill him and that was enough for now.

"It's fine," Alasdair answered, waving them off with a smile. "I guess it is kind of normal for you to shoot at a person in these clothes. But I'm not one of Them, at least not anymore."

"Well, the more the merrier I suppose," Talon shrugged. "But can you at least inform me of any others so I don't end up attacking another person, or is this everybody?"

"{No, this is it,}" Gavin replied.

"Okay. Well, my offer still stands. If you have nowhere else to go, you can stay here for the night. Then again, it isn't my house to offer, but it's not like they're alive to say otherwise."

*This guy is really trusting. I wonder why,* Gavin thought, giving Talon an odd, sideways look.

*{It's probably because they're with you. He treats you like you’re a sixth god, and those are your friends. After all, if someone isn't going to end us even with the promise of a half million ether award, they must be kind-hearted people,}* Eldrazi hypothesized. *{And if they're on your side, he just received extra protection for the night.}*

*Oh. How nice to know…*

Aeiln chuckled, most likely listening in on their conversation. "He is actually leaving tonight," she informed them.

"Indeed I am. I will be heading up to Rowan's in a quarter hour," Alasdair concurred.

"If that’s how you want to be then,” Talon closed his mouth, then opened it again, probably about to ask who Rowan was and about a hundred other questions, but then thought better of it and retreated to his own bedroom after a yelled 'Good night!'

Aeiln took a deep breath and finally managed to look at Gavin, saying, "You better get some solid rest. We have a long day tomorrow."

"{Really?}" he whined, his shoulders sloping at the sides. He was hoping to sleep in for once in his life. "{Why, what's tomorrow?}"

"We have some walking to do if we are going to get to the Demon Empire, and prepare for the next Relic."

"{Oh, well if we’re going to Ulnter next, then I suppose it’s fine,}" Gavin replied. Any opportunity to hold off going to Angel Empire again he would gladly take. He didn't want anyone to recognize him again... or worse. "{Still, I’m not walking any long distance without at least ten hours of sleep.}" Taking the couch on the opposite end of the room, he sat down and took off his bow and belt. He knew that everything in the house was ancient, but the material was so thin and ratty that he was forced to curl his thick tail around him for warmth.

Aeiln looked down at the wood floor, splotched white with mildew. "Okay, I give you a bit more time then, Lazy. I'll see you in the morning," Aeiln joked before walking up stairs and into a room adjacent to Talon's.

"{Good night,}" he called after her. That being done, he closed his eyes, and fell right asleep, feeling completely safe for the first time in his life.

⛤

Aeiln woke up to someone sitting on the edge of the bed, and as she turned to look, she saw Alasdair lit up with the morning sun from the small window. “I thought you already left?"

"Not yet. I needed to check on you one last time, since you apparently can’t trust your host to not launch fire at you."

"Gods, I’ll be fine on my own. I already have been this whole time.” She stopped, sitting up next to him. “I missed you, you know. There are so many people out there, that I have no idea where they are, or how they’re doing anymore. That’s why it was such a shock to see you out and about yesterday. I mean, it worked out for us, I guess.”

“I suppose, although I never thought I would have to find out the location of the Human Relic for you. What are you even doing these days?” It sounded like a joke, but his tone was serious.

“Well… You’ve already met Gavin, and it turns out we have a lot in common. We both want to stop this awful Holy War. We want to live equally and stop having to always fight, always run, always hide. I’m so tired of worrying about you, about Runia, and… Lucifer.” It surprised her, how much it hurt to say his name. “But with Gavin’s help, we can collect all the Relics, and fix everything wrong with this world. You won’t have to be an Inquisitor anymore, and we can all just live together.”

“That sounds nice,” he hummed in agreeance. “I’m glad I could help you make that a reality. I’ll have to ask Rowan if he can help in any way with you collecting the Demon Relic. Who knows, with his astral projections, we might be able to find Lucifer, so you two don’t have to do this alone. That being said, I have to leave now. I don’t want to lead my search party to you, after all.”

“Thank you. You do so much for me. I love you so much, my little brother," she cried, hugging him.

"You have to stop calling me that. I am a lot taller than you now." He let go and laughed as he walked over to the window. Aeiln waved, half-dazed as he leapt out of it’s small frame.

"You all do know I have a front door, correct?" Aeiln whipped around to find Talon in the doorway. "No, before you ask, I didn't hear anything you said, but honestly, you are all too much."

At the same time, she could hear Gavin beginning to make his way up the stairs.

"Eh. We are both Angel-Demon hybrids. It's in our blood," Aeiln laughed, sticking her tongue out.

"All right then, and I'm Human and Demon so there you go," he chortled, copying her gesture. At that moment Gavin entered the room, protruding his own forked tongue out.

"That's it, he wins," Talon declared, ending the strange contest. "So you guys want breakfast or what?"