They diverged into two groups once they landed in San Francisco. The Regere stayed on the jet with Morgan who was fast asleep while Evora escorted Amias, Rhys, and Nellie to the domestic flight gates. She exchanged brief goodbyes–handshakes for Rhys and Amias and a half-hug for Nellie–before disappearing.
With the fight put together at the last minute, Nellie was sitting nowhere near Rhys or Amias. The businessmen she was squashed between ignored her, which gave her the chance for another nap. She was soon jostled awake by the landing.
There was no luggage for them to fetch with Amias having a chic carry-on that they gave him at the gate. Nellie and Amais waited outside a bathroom for Rhys. Amais checked his flipphone.
“Flying international is magic in itself,” he said. “Looking at today’s date, we left China this morning and it is only barely evening. Amazing.”
Nellie glanced at the time, smiling through her grogginess. “The longest nine hours of my life,” she joked.
Rhys reappeared. His face was clean shaved and he had attempted to slick back his straggly hair by wetting it. The small changes immediately made him look less like a mountain hermit and more like the boy in the photo Nellie had tucked in her pocket. The three of them wound around the crowds until they found themselves in the arrivals in a blanket of unbearable humidity.
“Evora scheduled our rideshare for half after five,” Amias said. He looked at his phone. “Should be here shortly.”
They piled into a shiny, black Lexus. Nellie found herself in the backseat with Rhys. She drummed her fingers on her knees as the car whisked them into the stop and go traffic outside the airport.
“So… are you excited to see your sister,” Nellie asked.
Rhys blinked at her as if he’d forgotten she was right next to him. He gave a small shrug. “I suppose so. …We’ve always gotten on well.” He shifted his focus to Amais in front of him. “I take it Evora is arranging for Silas to send Perenelle’s things back to the house? Where is this house? Close?”
“Hardly,” Amais grumbled. “Your dear sister is a charming woman, but her taste in homes is too… rustic.”
“She wanted us to be near Webb so I could be a day student,” Nellie explained.
Rhys gave a little, “ah,” and turned to stare out the window. Nellie chewed her mouth, thinking of how to get him to speak to her again during the long drive. Part of her wanted to ask about the things she overheard on the plane, and part wanted to just yell at him for ignoring her.
She was still a novice on how magic worked. She didn’t need to think too much on it since she had none, but there was something unsettling and wrong about that green glow she saw on the plane. She couldn't find a single memory from her time with Arch and Itzel where she saw such an ominous glow; their colors had always been warm, and not only because Itzel favored fire.
“You’re so quiet back there,” Amias said. “I’d think you’d have much more to say. Shouldn’t you be asking Nellie tons of questions?” He scoffed as the silence continued. “My lamb, how are things with your friend from camp? The girl with the glasses?”
“Oh, Ava? It’s all good now. …Probably. I should call her tomorrow and see if she wants to hang out since I’m back from,” she glanced at their driver, “camp early. Oh wait… My phone…. Guess I could always write her. It’d give me an extra day to sleep.”
Nellie was able to ignore Rhys as much as he her; passing the minutes turned to hours by chatting with Amias. The sun was down and she was fully aware of how little she'd eaten as the car crested the top on the driveway.
Amais was the first to exit the car, having the driver stop at the top of the driveway due to his knowledge of the smoke wolf undoubtedly lurking in the dark. Nellie wanted to take in the sight of the little house with its glowing windows, absorb the sight and the pittering of her heart before stepping into the wet heat that–unfortunately–did not dissipate with the sun down.
“Coming, Commander,” Amais asked. Rhys slowly climbed from the car, and Amais leaned back towards the driver. “My good man, will you idle for just a moment so that I may hug my goddaughter goodbye? Off to the hotel after, post haste.”
“You aren’t staying,” Nellie asked, disappointed.
“Afraid not, my lamb,” Amais said, patting her shoulder. “I need a king sized bed and a soaking tub after that dreadful flight. Besides,” he looked at Rhys, “your father will be on the only couch tonight. I simply refuse to sleep on the floor. But, I must catch up with your charming Nathalie, so I'll be by tomorrow.”
Rhys’s face took on an odd expression that Nellie did not have time to decipher. An eerie howl sounded, taking all of her attention from the two men. She stooped over and held out her arms.
“Ash!”
She was bowled over without seeing him, either due to the dark or him poofing too close for her to process she couldn’t tell. She laughed, half crying as she fought off the wolf but tried to hug him around his furry neck all at once. He felt significantly heavier since the last time he tackled her.
Amais took Ash's distraction as his chance to leave. Nellie was only just aware the car was pulling away when she heard the front door bang open.
“Creature! If you've dragged me out here over some poor rabbit again… Oh goodness me, it's people!”
Nellie squirmed out from under Ash and was racing down the drive before Nathalie could begin her streams of warnings and apologies over Ash's conduct. There was a shriek of recognition moments before she threw herself into Nathalie’s arms.
“Mom!” She squeezed her tight.
Nathalie held her tightly, petting her matted, auburn waves. “Oh my girl… I missed you so.”
Ash wedged between them with a low, unsure rumble in his chest. It took Nellie a second to remember that she hadn’t returned home alone, timed perfectly with Rhys loudly clearing his throat to gain their attention.
Nathalie squinted into the dark. Then, her breath caught and she clamped a hand over her mouth.
“Sorry to drop in unannounced, Nattie, but may I come in,” Rhys asked. He held out his fist towards Ash, avoiding looking directly at him, to allow him to sniff. “There are a few things I must fill you both in on.”
Ash was left outside to scratch at the door peer through the window as the three humans went in. Nellie sat at the kitchen counter giving way for Rhys to take the couch. Nathalie flitted around the kitchen; turning on the kettle, searching for tea, rummaging through the fridge. She abruptly stopped and leaned onto the counter to stare at Rhys.
“Your hair is much too long,” Nathalie said.
Rhys snorted, shaking his head. “Yes, I'm aware. I’ve been out in the mountains the last six months. I’ll take care of it.” He dug in his pocket. “May I smoke in here?”
“Certainly not,” Nathalie said. “Filthy habit, Rhys. I thought you kicked it before you left England?”
“I reintegrated it the last two or three years,” Rhys muttered. He knitted his fingers on his knees. “It’s so good to see you again, Nattie. How’re Mum and Dad? Winston?”
“All in perfect health,” Nathalie said. “Lillian is engaged to be married. No date yet though, much to Winny’s chagrin. He fears her vision will bankrupt him the longer she thinks on it.”
“Lillan is…” Rhys mumbled under his breath as his eyes slowly widened. “Dear lord, I’ve been away so long.”
“Twenty years or so,” Nathalie said stiffly. “Thirty at least since you left home. You did used to call. Write. Even send pictures and have video chats a few times. There was a visit or two, if I didn’t imagine them.” She busied herself with the whistling kettle. “Tea? Decaf?”
Nellie gratefully accepted honeyed decaf tea and leftover, cold pizza as Nathalie made a cup of strong, black tea–leftover from Uncle Winston’s visit–for Rhys. She searched for crackers but came up with Caesar salad croutons. She apologetically gave them to Rhys in a small bowl along with his tea, and settled onto the couch with him.
“So…,” Nathalie started, her voice fading off.
Rhys took a long sip of tea. “Perhaps, I should ask what you do know to start off?”
“I heard you talking to the Regere,” Nellie said.
“I gathered as much with you and Morgan piled outside the door,” Rhys said, the corner of his mouth twitching. “So? What do you need clarification on?”
“Everything,” Nathalie muttered under her breath.
“Do I have to leave,” Nellie asked, her voice higher. She stared at her half eaten pizza. “Morgan keeps saying that with you back… and looking for Brue… and everything I know now….”
She bit her lip, turning away more as she heard Rhys stand. She felt his strong hand on her shoulder. She peeked up at him and found him smiling sadly.
“Perenelle, I would never force you to leave your mum,” Rhys said. “I’ll tell you everything you wish to know that I think appropriate.”
Nathalie gave a hearty sniff. She excused herself with a little blubber, and went to the bathroom to clean her face. Nellie gulped back a sob and flung her arms around his middle. He smoothed her hair, gave her a pat, and they broke apart with near identical watery smiles.
Rhys cleared his throat. “Now, then… to your questions.” He settled himself back on the couch. “Did you overhear about the possibility of Brecken using you–?”
“As bait,” Nellie finished. “He’s done it before. Said so to my face. Oh, don’t worry! I think it’s better he told me. I know I have to always look twice at anything involving him.” Her blue eyes darted to the bathroom door. “I don’t think it’s the best idea for Mom to know though.”
“I’ll handle my sister,” Rhys said.
Nathalie returned, her eyes bloodshot. She smiled at them and retook her seat next to Rhys.
“It wasn’t just in the hotel,” Nellie said. “I heard you on the plane. And, I saw… glowing.”
“Ah.” Rhys swirled what was left of his cooled tea, setting it back down without taking a sip. “Brecken was a powerful mage in his own right, but he has additional power that is not truly his. Very dangerous power.”
“A curse?”
“A real curse,” Nathalie asked. “Is that why you didn’t want him near Nellie?”
“Part of it,” Rhys said. He knit his fingers together. “Everything goes back much further than ten years ago. Further than twenty-five by eons, but twenty-five is where we start.”
Nathalie frowned. “1999?”
“The dawning of a new millennium,” Rhys corrected. “Each millennium faces the challenge of Tiamat waking. What made 1999–2000–different is that the Realm is considered a figment of the imagination. Technology has all but completely replaced magic. Dragons are for children’s stories. …I’m assuming you understand enough of the Realm that the mention of it didn’t go over your head?”
“Wait, wait,” Nathalie said, holding up her hands and shaking her head. “I need you to slow down, Rhys. What is a ‘Tiamat’?”
Nellie had an inkling that she heard the name recently. Her mind kept latching onto the Regere pulsating that eerie green when she tried to remember where she heard the name.
“Tiamat is… a primordial monster,” Rhys said. “Typhon. Jormungandr. The Leviathan. Vritra. And in her other forms she’s been called Medusa, Lilith, Hacate, Izanami, and et cetera across all myths and cultures. She appears in Genesis as ‘tehom’, the deep.” He sighed heavily. “The point being, she’s the cause of all this. The Y2K scare was not exactly the technological collapse it was advertised to be, but it was catastrophic.”
She knew it was the least important of the details Rhys just gave, but Nellie could not help but get stuck on the small, seemingly trivial tidbit. “Umm… what's Y2K?”
Nathalie and Rhys exchanged a look before they both gave a snort of laughter. It was the most annoying reaction they could've had, and her annoyance must have shown on her face.
“Sorry, Nellie, my love,” Nathalie said, stifling the rest of her laughter. “Y2K was somewhat a branding that was everywhere in 1999. And the Y2K scare was the idea that all the computers would reset to zero.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Something to do with the year ending in a double zero, I think. I cannot quite remember, and it came to naught, so I never cared to learn anything more about it.” Her face took on an odd expression. “Remember I told you of my medical complications? This Y2K nonsense was around the same time.”
Nellie thought back to her conversation with Nathalie all the way back in January, back when she first found out Rhys was her father and Nathalie was really her biological aunt. She remembered bits about Nathalie being sick, and that causing her the ability to have her own children.
What she was still unsure of was how clocks reading double zero would destroy the world. She didn’t get a chance to ask; Rhys giving a dismissive wave akin to Nathalie’s own.
“All the technology side of things was sorted long before the year changed. It is also not important for this conversation. Not that I could explain it any better,” he added with a nod at Nathalie. “The bigger issue, the real issue, was Tiamat waking. And she was thwarted, or at least mostly.”
“Mostly,” Nathalie questioned.
Nellie wrinkled her nose. “Twarted?”
“Tiamat is… complex,” Rhys said. “More than we even understand. The Keepers understand some of it all, but they're fairly guarded. His Majesty was instrumental in what we assumed was Tiamat's defeat, and he has been most forthcoming in that right…” Rhys stared hard and unseeing at the edge of the coffee table. “But, I cannot shake that there is more he isn't saying.”
Her heart missed a beat. “Was Ira’s mom involved,” Nellie asked.
“Ah, so Brecken wasn't just spouting nonsense saying you had some familiarity with his Highness,” Rhys said.
“He slept on this couch,” Nathalie said gravely, gingerly touching the upholstery she sat upon.
“His father is quite good-natured and down to earth. There is a comfort knowing the son shares some of those traits,” Rhys said. The small, wry smile that had formed when speaking of Clayborne York fell away. “Yes. The mother was there, and instrumental as well.”
“Then, Penny’s mom, this Fox lady,” Nellie said, wriggling in her seat, “she was involved too?”
“My, you do catch on quickly,” Rhys said, the smile returning. Nellie felt her face warm with pride and turned back to her unfinished pizza. “Fox wasn't involved during the Y2K battle, but she had some sort of dealing with Tiamat. Pinpointing when has been most difficult. But, she was always being dragged into something so it fits with her trajectory that she'd find herself up against a primordial monster furious at the world.”
“So… then, Brue…,” Nellie trailed off.
“Your uncle comes into play there,” Rhys said darkly. He sighed heavily. “Brecken’s curse comes from Tiamat. I don’t know if Brue was targeted to punish him, but that is what always made sense to me.”
There was a length of silence as Nellie–and Nathalie–took a moment to digest this. Natahlie quietly asked Rhys if he wanted another cup, and circled around the counter where Nellie sat to turn the kettle back on. She was gaunt and her hands shook, but she still gave Nellie a happy, contented smile that Nellie couldn’t help but return. They were in it together.
Rhys murmured his thanks as Nathalie supplied him with another cup of tea. He was beginning to slump more on the couch; his exhaustion starting to show.
“Now then,” Rhys said, “is there anything else presently? I won’t vanish on you without a goodbye. If you wish to sleep on the rest of your thoughts, I am more than happy to oblige.”
“Are you a Catholic,” Nathalie asked.
Rhys snorted a laugh. “Would that matter?”
“You know how our mother feels about Catholics,” Nathalie said sternly, unable to hide the smirk on her face. She rubbed her hand soothingly across her little brother’s broad back. “Of course, it doesn’t matter.”
“I do have one more thing… I heard you and the Regere saying me and Penny were in danger.” She looked away to avoid taking in Natahlie’s horrified expression. “Ira too. But… you said his danger was different. So…?”
There was a pause before Rhys drew himself up, inflating to look more like the Commander and less like an overly tired semi-mountain man. He gave a small nod.
“Tiamat is a vengeful creature,” Rhys said. “Our assumption was that she cursed Fox and her Majesty, but we only put together what that meant when it was your mother that was cursed.” He stayed rigid. “Her Majesty and Fox vanished. No one was with them, and we were running on multiple theories, but I was there when Brue succumbed to the curse. …I saw her change.”
“Change… in her behavior, or…,” Nathalie trailed off uneasily.
Rhys shook his head. He met Nellie’s eyes. “You mother has wings. You and Morgan wanted my input to narrow down your search. That’s what I give you.”
Nellie went from a twinge of fear and excited apprehension to annoyance. “Wait, that's it? That she has wings?”
“Nathalie and I have much to discuss regarding how your life goes from here out, but I am confident she and I are on the same page on this; you are much too young to jump into all of this.” He held up his hand to stop her protest. “Ah, you may argue with us in the morning. I'll be here for a few days.” He smirked at Nathalie. “If you're all right with me crashing on your couch?”
“You didn’t answer,” Nathalie said quietly. “Nellie asked about the danger she was in, and you deflected.”
“Yes…,” Rhys said. He drained his cup and rested on his knees, fingers knitted together. “Tiamat appears to specifically target women. With Fox and your mother already succumbing to her curse, there is a theory she may already be aware of you and Fox’s daughter. There is a great fear that she may target you in the future.”
Nathalie gave a weak gasp, covering her mouth, but Nellie merely frowned.
“But, you don’t know for sure she only goes after girls,” Nellie said. “Ira could be in danger the same… way….”
Ira told her he and Penny suspected all dragons were originally women. The Piasa Bird she'd faced still had a human face, and while some of her friends referred to it as a male, they were only going off the beard and a quick glance. Nellie–even at that time--had thought the greenish facial hair was more likely part of the transformation.
“His Highness would be in a different sort of threat if the theory of attacking only women proves true,” Rhys said. He stood. “Bed, for now, I think.” He attempted a smile. “You have much to think over.”
“Would it be a curse, just not a dragon—?”
“Perenelle,” Nathalie said, firmly but with tired gentleness, “in the morning.” She also stood, and placed a hand on Rhys’s shoulder. “He’s trying to hide it, but he’s dead on his feet.”
Reluctantly, Nellie slipped from her seat. She hugged Nathalie, swaying for a moment and soaking in the familiarity, comfort, and affection before releasing her. She stepped in front of Rhys, wringing her hands. She lunged at him, squeezed him for half a second, and scurried to her room.
She began to feel the weight of her exhaustion once she was done preparing for bed. Her steps were heavy as she went to her window, wrenching it up.
“Ash,” she hissed into the dark. “Ash. Come here, boy.”
She stumbled away from the window as black smoke filtered through the screen, reforming into the black wolf with red eyes. She hugged him around his furry neck, shushed him, and ushered him to the end of her bed.
Her eyes blinked slowly as she stared at the light coming through the gap at the bottom of her door. She could hear Rhys’s deep voice as the siblings quietly caught up. A smile twitched her lips as she caught a few words of Rhys complimenting Nathalie on how she was being raised. Her eyes closed on his hushed promise that someday, when she was older, she would resume her quest with no interference, only help.
-----------------------------------
And Nellie's book is done! Or books. I still might split it at the Cumberland dragon.
From the start, I wanted Nellie's end to be finding more of her family, most importantly Rhys, and realizing that Nathalie was still Mom. Even with her coming to that conclusion, with her being 12, she still has/had the anxiety over 'these people are more related, they'll claim rights'. Rhys sets that to rest for her. (Legally, no one could make Nellie leave because Nathalie has legal guardianship, and Rhys would've had a hard to impossible time proving he was a fit father with a 10 year absense.)
Rhys also sets up the rest of the serise with the reveal of Tiamat (I need to remember to put a picture in the chat). It was fun piecing together how widespread this Babylonian primortial diety was: dragon-esque serpants are very common around the world. Tiamat is especially venegful compared to some of the other dragon-types Rhys mentioned (and 100% always seen as a female). I did not know about her possible link in the Book of Genesis, (shockingly, I don't read ancient Hebrew or kione Greek, lol) but that just added a whole other level of seriousness in my mind since the Bible is still current while the other myths are not practiced/believed. And, it tied so nicely back to the original roots of the Order of Ferblanc being the exorsism and templar branches of the early church.
Penny will be next!
Thanks for reading!
The Castle of the Sunbird, September 2005
Where the Fault Lies, Part II, 2006
Mioko Del Mar, 2007?
Mioko, Sept 2002
Fire & Steel, 2005
