Chapter 1: Am I A Failure?
Chapter Text
Am I A Failure?
Cora walked around Harry once more, fixing the right sleeve of his robe and then wiping off some imaginary dust on his left shoulder. Harry stood as still as he could under her inspection even though all he wanted to do at this moment was fidget. There was too much anxiety thrumming through his body and he wasn’t sure what to do with it.
He really really didn’t want to be here.
However, Cora had insisted after the way the last Hunt had gone. Harry had been too shy to approach anyone or respond to any of the favors sent to him. Even with encouragement from Cora and Lewis and the rest of the Peverell’s, it had just never felt right. Harry was truly starting to think there was something wrong with him.
The Hunt eventually passed and several of Harry’s friends had Bonded into full or partial Circles. But Harry just…hadn’t. He hadn’t even been able to find an Alpha. His Oret had reassured him that it wasn’t a big deal. That everyone had their own time for these things and of course he had only just turned sixteen a few months before the start of the Hunt. There was nothing to worry about.
Except, they all knew there was.
On his birthday, Harry had come into his inheritance like they all knew he would. It wasn't shocking in any way and both Cora and Lewis had fully prepared him on what to expect. When the light peach and silver color of his wings became apparent, Cora couldn’t hide the happiness at having another Submissive around. They hadn’t yet been successful having their own kids, so being able to share something like this with their adopted ward was exciting even if it was slightly bittersweet.
However, they hadn’t expected one thing.
Considering Harry looked like Lewis’ carbon copy, they just expected he would share similarities in his magic as well. So when he hadn’t immediately shown any greater ability or sense of air magic than before his inheritance they were a little surprised. Sometimes, though, the magic took a day or two after the inheritance to come in. So they waited patiently. But as a week and then two passed that patience turned to worry. Harry probably would have thought nothing of it, but he could feel the worry of his guardians and couldn’t help but feel it himself.
When the third week had come around and nothing had changed, they’d called a Healer that Lewis had worked with more than a few times to do a full scan of Harry’s magic. One Lewis had been hesitant to cast himself because of the complexity of it and the danger if done wrong.
However, the Healer hadn’t even gone that far. Instead, she’d taken a quick screening of Harry’s magic beforehand and then turned to an anxious Cora and Lewis with a raised brow. That’s when they’d found out Harry was Nameless.
Harry very clearly felt the surprise that went through both Cora and Lewis. They had just assumed he’d be Air like the rest of them.
Before the Healer left, they had suggested checking the registration office to see if Harry had still been assigned a Mentor. He’d need one to help him with his Nameless ability whatever it was, after all. And two days later, Harry had met Maurice. The other Submissive was a little brusque but the two of them quickly formed a tight bond as Maury started teaching Harry. They’d figured out not long after that Harry was an empath. Harry was a little shocked by that. He’d thought he’d just been projecting his own idea of people’s feelings onto them. Not actually feeling their emotions. Maury had just clicked his tongue and rolled up his sleeves before telling Harry this would be a difficult gift to control. And he was right. But Harry fought each day to get a little better at it.
His Oret had briefly asked about Harry’s other family to see if there were any Empaths either living or dead in his ancestry so Maury could get an idea of how powerful Harry would become. But Harry had nothing for him. Harry didn’t even know who his parents were.
When Harry was little over a year old, Lewis’ alerts had finally given him a hint at his brother’s location. Except, it hadn’t been his brother he’d found. Lewis had ported straight to a non-Magical town on Earth with tons of houses all lined up that looked exactly the same. The tether of his alert had pulled him to a house on the first street with a number 4 stuck to the front door and on the stoop was a tiny basket with a baby inside.
Lewis’ brain had immediately gone into Medic mode at seeing the tiny child outside at night on such a cold evening. He’d first discovered the warming charm placed over the tiny babe just before he’d seen the letter. Glancing around quickly, Lewis had reached for the letter and felt his face flush at the audacity of the one who had written it.
The little babe’s parents were dead and someone had thought it was smart to leave him on the doorstep of a family he’d never met.
The Pareya had clenched his teeth slightly at that before shaking his head. He slipped the letter back in the basket and picked up the baby gently. He was just about to ring the doorbell to get the occupants’ attention when he realized the pull of the alert he’d placed for his brother ended at this tiny boy. He frowned slightly before remembering what the note had said. The boy’s parents were dead. Did that mean his brother…
A deep sadness filled Lewis’ chest and he might have broken down right there if it wasn’t for the tiny gurgle the boy made in his sleep, distracting Lewis and pulling his focus back to the boy. Looking into his little face, Lewis made a decision then, wrapping his arm a little more snugly around the boy. The decision only got easier when Lewis did a brief check and found the child had no familial connection to the individuals inside.
And so, with both the basket holding the note and the child in hand, Lewis ported back to Nevarah and his Circle.
Both Cora and Henry had berated him for just taking the child like that before asking for an investigation by the Courts. However, they had found nothing more than what Lewis had reported and there was no sign of where the child had even been before he’d ended up on the doorstep of Number 4. It seemed the child truly was alone.
When Harry was old enough to understand, Lewis had shown him the letter and told him about the day Lewis had found him. It was a bit of a shock to realize he wasn’t originally from Nevarah and more to find that his parents were murdered but Harry was happy with the Peverells. They had taken care of him and made sure he wanted for nothing for as long as he could remember. Yes, he was curious about where he had come from but Cora and Lewis and the others were his parents now.
Harry still wasn’t sure about the rest of his family. For some reason, his Bearer and Third’s information was blocked in all of his scans. Even the family seal he still carried was a blur so no one could identify what Clan it came from. It was frustrating and a little saddening, but Harry had accepted that he probably would never know about the rest of his family. Just like he would never know what had happened to his Sire, James Potter, and his wife, Lily, or how he ended up in front of the non-Magical home where Lewis had found him.
And so, Maury had trained him the best he could with the little information they all had.
It had been fine when he was sixteen. Things got a little chaotic when he was upset, but Harry could deal with the Empathy for the most part. However, the strength of his gift had only grown in the last ten years and those chaotic moments were happening more frequently. His Oret and guardians were all worried what would happen if he didn’t at least find and Alpha and Beta to ground him soon.
Cora had really tried. She’d set up meetings with as many families that she had connections to as she could. But none of the un-Bonded Alphas he’d met had felt right. Something was always missing and Harry couldn’ bring himself to Bond with any of them with that feeling lingering in the back of his mind. It wouldn’t be fair to either of them.
And so, here they were. It was ten years after his inheritance and the start of the next Hunt and Harry still wasn’t Bonded. But he would be. He needed to be. At least, that’s what everyone kept saying. And Harry couldn’t disagree with them when he was the one that could feel his unsettled magic first hand.
Still, he hadn’t wanted to do it this way.
The voices of the crowd felt like a roaring in his ears even from inside the sub-chamber where they were waiting. He kept rubbing his palms against the sides of his robes, knowing they were sweaty, and the whole room looked a little blurry as he shook.
“Harry?” Lewis said.
Harry’s eyes darted towards the Pareya and then away as the explosion of cheers came from outside again. His breathing got a little quicker at the sound, knowing his time was coming even closer.
“Harry!” Lewis said again, putting his hands on the young Submissive’s shoulders. Harry's attention snapped back to the Pareya’s, looking into the face that looked so much like his own. Except for the eyes that he had never known the origin of.
“I'm sorry,” Harry said, automatically.
“Don't be sorry, kiddo. Just take a breath,” Lewis said.
Harry tried. Really, he did. But no matter how many breaths he took, he still felt a little light headed.
“Harry? Are you sure you want to do this?” Lewis said. “We could always—”
“Don’t be silly, Lewis. Of course, he'll do it. It's just a bit of nerves. Everything will be fine,” Cora said.
Finally, it was Harry's turn.
It took everything in him to keep his steps steady. He focused on just following the directions of those that would be watching over him during his Heart Cries. He didn't even notice them drawing the lines and adjusting the runes that would keep the Alphas from swarming Harry. Only those that passed each test would be allowed through.
The attendant gave him a brief smile and said “Just relax” as they turned to move out of the way.
So simple to say and yet it seemed like a monumental task right now. He had watched as some of the Submissives sat or kneeled during their Heart Cries, but Harry didn't dare try. If he did he was sure his legs would just crumple beneath himself.
Instead, he stood in the very center of the circles with locked knees and wide eyes while the official announced his name, age, family, rank, and element like they did for introductions. Once he was done, there was a brief awkward silence as Harry waited for what he was supposed to do next. It was only when he heard a brief cough did he remember everyone else was actually waiting for him.
Cheeks burning, Harry sucked in another breath and didn't let himself take the time to think before letting it out with a Cry that came straight from his gut.
For a moment, Harry worried if the Cry had been loud enough. He didn’t have long to think about it, though before he saw several Dragels jumping from the surrounding balconies in order to land on the walkway close to where Harry stood in the middle. Some of them flew overhead, watching the others, but more than a few made a beeline directly towards Harry.
Harry tensed a little each time one of the Alphas approached the runic circles around as he fidgeted in the very middle. A few of them passed through the first ring, but none breached the second ring. Harry turned uneasily towards his family behind him. Cora made a motion with her hands, urging him on. Turning back around, Harry took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he let out a second, stronger Heart Cry.
More Dragels came down from the stands, landing all around Harry as he waited to see if any of them would be able to approach. There were several more that passed through the first ring, but some of them turned on each other, trying to threaten the competition. The second they did, they were sent out of the ring. That had been something Harry had been adamant about. He didn’t want an aggressive Alpha. Even if they were fighting for his attention.
Slowly, the Alphas were weeded out until there were only two that stepped through the second ring. As they did, they both glanced at each other, sizing the other up, before looking away and back to where Harry stood.
The taller of the two Alphas had curly, honey blond hair and startlingly bright teal eyes. The wings stretched out wide behind him were a mix of green and yellow and blue and Harry was fascinated by the different patterns as the colors blended together. His steps were quick and sure as he moved towards the edge of the third and final ring.
The second Alpha was a few inches shorter but still half a head taller than Harry. His eyes were a honey gold color that was going black around the edges. His wings were a mix of dark browns, black and gold. His gate was a little slower than the blond Alpha’s, but his stare was intense as he moved forward.
Harry felt his heartbeat quicken as both of them approached him. There was something, deep in his gut, that made him feel like this might be it. He could almost feel a connection between himself and at least one of the Alphas, though he wasn’t sure which one. However, as they both reached the third ring they stopped. Harry briefly wondered if they were just as awed and nervous as he was, but then they each reached out a different hand and pressed it to opposite sides of where he stood.
There was a mix of shock and confusion and frustration and longing and several others that Harry couldn’t put a name or an owner to as they stood there and realized that neither could get through the final ring surrounding Harry.
Harry’s sight blurred as his eyes filled with tears at the mix of emotions that battered across him from within the circle. He reached out a hand to the figure in front of him though he couldn’t tell which of the two Alphas it was. An invisible barrier stopped him from reaching the Alpha as the third and final Heart Cry was wrenched from his lips. Harry waited for the barrier to break. For the moment to finally end. He could practically feel the warmth of the hand that rested against the other side of it almost against his own.
An intense need filled him and then…nothing. Harry blinked his eyes, trying to clear his vision as he looked up. But there was no one there. Both alphas that had been so close to him were gone without a trace as far as he could tell.
When it hit him, Harry felt all the strength leave him as he fell to his knees in the middle of the circles. Another cry left his lips but it was just a normal keening this time as the emotions overwhelmed him and then he went quiet and he curled in on himself.
The entire stadium echoed with silence.
Hardly anyone dared to breath while Harry remained there on his knees, arms curled around himself in a futile attempt to hold himself together. His breaths were coming in little hiccups and tears streamed from his eyes as he rocked himself back and forth on the ground.
After what seemed too soon and too late, Harry felt an arm curl around his waist and whoever it was lifted him up despite his unsteady feet. Then he was being led away and Harry could hardly care where.
Harry was mostly silent that night. He hardly ate the meal Lewis and the other Pareya had so lovingly made with all of his favorites, his stomach still in knots. And after dinner he sat against the arm of the couch just staring into the fight someone had lit in the grate. Every once in a while one of his guardians would come over to brush a hand over his head or arm or shoulder. The others seemed to know what to say as much as he did and so it was very quiet in their home. Finally, Henry sat beside Harry and pulled him into a short hug. Harry whined low in the back of his throat before swallowing back the tears and wrapped his arms around the Alpha’s neck.
“What’s wrong with me?” Harry said.
Henry closed his eyes briefly and leaned his cheek atop Harry’s head. “There’s nothing wrong with you child. It’s just…not your time yet.”
There was no noise, but Henry could feel Harry’s body shaking slightly as he sobbed along with the subtle wetness against his shoulder. Henry mentally sighed and held the boy a little tighter, patting his back gently. “Would you like to stay with us tonight?” he said.
Harry’s breaths stuttered a couple times as he tried to speak, but he finally just gave up and shook his head.
“Are you sure?” Henry said.
“Yeah,” Harry said finally, voice cracking. “I just need…some time alone.”
“If you’re sure,” Henry said, hissing his forehead. “Why don’t you head to bed and just rest. Tomorrow will be a new day. Unless you’d like a hot chocolate or something?”
“No…I—I think sleep is a good idea,” Harry said.
Henry nodded and squeezed Harry once more. “Okay kid,” he said, patting Harry’s back again. “Go ahead and sleep. If you change your mind you can always come back. We’ll leave the door open for you.”
“Thank you,” Harry said, before slowly relinquishing his hold on the Alpha and forcing himself to stand up from the couch. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said in a quiet voice.
His guardians all piped up one after another to wish him goodnight as he made his way out of the door.
After he was gone, Henry sighed once more and then started ushering his Circle to bed as well. It would benefit no one if they just sat there and worried, after all. Finally, only Cora was still sitting as the others started making their way into the resting room. Tonight of all nights they would spend it together. Henry looked back at his Submissive, waiting to see if she would join them.
“Just go,” she said, looking into the fire in much the same way Harry had been. “I’ll be in soon.”
“Cora, I—”
“I’ll stay with her,” Lewis said, interrupting the Alpha.
Henry turned and met the Pareya’s eyes for a moment before nodding and ushering the last of their other Bonded through the door. When they were finally alone, Lewis watched Cora for a long moment before moving towards the Submissive.
Harry wasn’t that far from the room when he realized he’d left his robe thrown over the arm of the couch. He didn’t really need it and he had enough of an excuse to forget it, but Harry also knew how much Cora disliked it when things were left lying around. So without too much of a second thought, Harry turned around to go grab it from the room before he went to sleep.
At the same moment Harry turned back towards the door to push it open again, Lewis sighed and slumped down onto the couch beside Cora. “I really thought that would work,” Lewis said, the defeat in his tone making Harry pause outside. Cora hummed, tracing her fingers over the pattern in the couch. “I was hopeful when those two got through to the second ring. Especially with how Harry seemed to respond. I don’t think he’s ever reacted that way to any of the Alphas I’ve seen him with.”
Cora clicked her tongue. “There was no way they’d get through the last ring,” Cora said.
Lewis looked a little taken aback as he turned towards his Submissive. “You seem so certain. Did you recognize them from somewhere,” Lewis said.
“No. But I did see their wings,” Cora said, still staring into the space in front of herself.
Lewis chuckled a little uncomfortably. “What does that have to do with them crossing the line?” He said.
Cora finally turned towards her Pareya, one eyebrow raised. “They weren't Air,” Cora said simply.
“Yes. And?” Lewis said.
“The line wouldn’t let them in if they weren’t Air,” Cora said.
“What? But why? Harry’s never said anything about having any sort of inclination one way or another. Why would he add a clause about an element?” Lewis said.
“Oh, he didn’t. I did,” Cora said.
Lewis froze slightly, blinking. “What?”
“I added Elemental distinction to Harry’s third line. It only would have let Air Elements through,” Cora said.
“Did Harry know that?” Lewis said, eyes growing wider.
“No…I didn’t want him to worry about it. I figured it wouldn’t matter. The Alpha that was meant to be there would be able to get through,” Cora said. “And they’d be Air.”
For a long moment, Lewis just stood there in disbelief. And then he started shaking his head. “But…there weren’t. So…does that mean one of those two today should have been his Alpha?”
Cora frowned but didn’t meet his eyes. “I don’t know.”
That response set him off and Lewis had to swallow several times before he was able to speak without raising his voice and bring all their Bonded running back into the room. “Cora how could you?! Those boys had to be dragged away by the guards. One or both of them could have been Harry’s Soul Bonds!” Lewis said.
Cora was already shaking her head. “Harry is a Peverell. His Soul Bonds will definitely not be Earth. That would be cruel to both of them.”
“I don’t—I can’t—what…” Lewis stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose before speaking again through his fangs. “Harry may be a Peverell but he is not Air. You know this! We have no idea what other elements were in his Parental Triad but there is all the possibility it could have been Earth or any other Element other than air. That is why his is Nameless! What makes you think limiting him to only Air Bonded would be healthy for him?!”
Cora growled low in the back of her throat as she stood up. “He’s ours! That makes him Air.”
“But he’s not just ours Cora! He has other family,” Lewis said.
“Then where have they been for the last 26 years!” Cora said, glaring at the Pareya. Lewis didn’t answer right away and Cora stomped her foot on the ground. “Where were they to change his diapers. To see his first day of school. To pick him up when he hurt himself. To teach him to fly. To see his first Hunt. To feel his heartbreak at the end. And every time he couldn’t find someone. Where were they then?!” Cora said, tears in her eyes despite the determined set of her mouth and the red on her cheeks.
Suddenly, Lewis stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the Submissive. Cora pushed against him at first before letting her head fall against his chest, clutching at the bottom of his shirt. “They weren’t there,” Cora said, her voice suddenly much lower and slightly broken.
“I know, Cora,” Lewis said, running a hand over her hair.
“If he doesn't bond to Air we'll lose him too,” Cora said.
“How would we lose him just because of that, Cor?” Lewis said.
“If it's not Air he can't live in the Air City,” she said. “Especially if he bonds to an Earth Element like those Alphas today.”
“And? Why does Harry not living in the next house over determine whether or not we are in his lives?” Lewis said.
“Because…because…if he’s not here then he obviously won't need us anymore,” she said, voice cracking again. It didn’t make much sense, but sometimes emotions weren’t always rational. Lewis just hoped that this wasn’t something that they couldn’t fix.
“Love…no matter who he bonds to, he's not going to need us in the same way. That's part of letting them grow up. But that doesn't mean he's not still one of ours. He'll always be our kid. He has since the day I found him,” Lewis said.
The sound Cora made was somewhere between a laugh and a sob. Not entirely reassuring, but Lewis would take it for now.
They stood there holding one another for a while before Cora finally sighed and turned to lean her ear against Lewis’ chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
“You really think they were possible Soul Bonds?” Cora said.
Lewis grimaced but chose to tell her the truth despite how it would make her feel. “I cannot know for certain but…they didn’t walk away easy, Cora. I can’t imagine that that sort of reaction would come just because they had been denied. And one of them was a Healer. I recognized him from one of the clinics. He’d know better than to act that way. Especially at such an event.”
Cora winced slightly before nodding to herself and going quiet once more. Lewis knew that she hadn’t wanted to hurt Harry. He was their son after all, even if no one in their Circle had carried him. Cora loved Harry more than anything. That didn’t mean that there hadn’t been mistakes made.
“Is this all my fault?” Cora said, her voice small.
Lewis wasn’t quite sure what to say. He didn’t want to make it worse for his Submissive but he also couldn’t lie and say that she’d done nothing wrong. They would just have to hope that nothing had been irreparably ruined.
“Come on,” Lewis said at last. “Let’s get some sleep. We can talk about it again in the morning. And…I believe the first thing we’ll need to do is talk with Harry.” He took her hand and led her through the door that linked the sitting room and the resting room. Their other Bonded would be waiting for them there to comfort the two after the day they’d all had.
The sitting room door remained cracked as it always did in case Harry needed them in the night. Which meant it would be no trouble for Harry to slip in and grab his robe and leave before anyone knew he’d been there.
But Harry just stood in the hallway, frozen in place, for a long time.
His body was stuck where he was but his mind was practically flying.
He was suddenly rethinking the years since he’d come into his inheritance. The things he hadn’t thought to think about up to now. During that first Hunt, all the places the Cora had taken him to had been primarily Air. They stayed almost entirely in the Air section of the Hunt the whole time with the exception of the times they’d been to the main stadium. Even the favors he had received had all come from Air Elements. At the time, he’d just assumed it was a coincidence considering who he was around most often. But maybe it wasn’t such a coincidence.
There were even times she’d steer him away from certain places or groups.
And after, in the years between, all the Alpha’s she’s introduced him to had been from one Air Clan or another. Not a single one of the unbonded Alphas he’d met in a casual setting since his inheritance had been from any other Element.
How had he not noticed until now?
Did that mean…was there truly nothing wrong with him? Was he just in the wrong places to meet the Bonded he was looking for?
Suddenly, Harry’s expression went blank and then he was turning on his heel and heading back in the direction of his room. The robe he’d intended to go back for had completely slipped his mind at this point.
Harry wasn’t sure what he was planning to say to Cora tomorrow, but right now he couldn’t think of that. Lewis had said that the Alphas this afternoon had not just left. They had been pulled away but the protection Gheyos when the final ring had prevented them from moving forward. Which means that maybe they didn’t want to leave after all. And, possibly, at least one of them had felt what he had. So maybe…just maybe they might meet with him again.
At least he hoped so.
There had been something…different about the feel of one of those Alphas. Harry had to know why. Had to know if it was something more than just the coincidence of meeting an interested Alpha from an Element he wasn’t used to.
But…
Would they want to talk to him after what had happened today?
It had to have been embarrassing for them. Harry knew that it had been for him. Hopefully, they would at least talk to him. He’d have to figure out everything else afterwards.
First thing first, though…He had to figure out who they were.
Chapter 2: Making Plans and Unraveling Plots
Summary:
After the Heart Cry? What is Harry going to do?
Chapter Text
Making Plans and Unraveling Plots
Harry didn’t sleep much that night. Not that he had been expecting to.
Instead, he’d been going over ways to find those two. With all of Nevarah filled with people from on and off realm, it wouldn’t be easy. Especially since the only thing Harry had to go on was the fact that the both of them were Alphas. It’s not like they had stopped to give their names yesterday during the ceremony. And there was no one there recording who responded to the Heart Cries. That wouldn’t make sense, after all. The only individual that was supposed to matter was the one that got through all three of the rings.
But he had two pieces of information to start with. First, at least one of them was an Earth element. He’d known that since the moment he had seen the gold eyes. Harry wasn’t sure about the other Alpha. His features were a study in contrast. The purple and gold scales might be Storm, but he didn’t have the purple eyes. He also could have been Earth, but again, his blue eyes didn’t match with the normal gold. Maybe there was some sort of Merrow heritage? Harry had never met a Merrow before but his Oret had told him enough about them that he knew odd eye colors could be a sign of some connection to the Aqua’kin. The only thing he was certain of was that the Alpha was definitely at least part Fae. The extra point to his ears made that obvious. The Peverells didn’t have any Fae blood and he hadn’t been around many half or full Fae’s before, so he wasn’t sure how much of an effect that would have on his looks. Was that the reason for his odd coloring?
There was at least one piece of specific information that Lewis had given to him, though. One of them was a Healer. That could potentially limit his search a little. After all, how many registered Healers that were Alphas could there really be?
Harry sighed.
His luck, there was more than he could really guess. And he didn’t even know which of the two Alphas it was. But still, he had to start somewhere.
Before he knew it, it was morning and there was a light knock on Harry’s door. Blinking a little in confusion, Harry looked around, finally noticing the light coming in through the window that covered most of one wall.
Whoops.
“Come in,” Harry said, noticing the roughness in his voice after spending so long in silence.
The door opened slowly and Harry was surprised to see Vincent poke his head in. Usually, either Cora or Lewis would come in to wake him if he didn’t spend the night in one of the Resting Room with the others.
“Good morning, Little One,” Vincent said, stepping inside when he saw Harry sitting up on the bed.
“Hi,” Harry said.
“We’re getting breakfast ready. Would you like to come and help?” Vincent said, knowing that Harry often enjoyed their time in the kitchen together.
Part of Harry wanted to say no. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to chance seeing Cora yet. Even if she wasn’t much for cooking, that didn’t mean she didn’t go into the kitchen at all. However, the other part of him knew it wasn’t a good thing for him to stay shut up in his room either.
“Okay,” Harry said eventually.
Vincent smiled gently. “Wonderful. Desmond is already in there getting things started. I think he was trying to keep Lewis from trying to help with the bacon. Better hurry before your Uncle burns down the house.”
Harry giggled. Lewis was a talented medic and Pareya. He could cook up most meals and was usually responsible for any baking that went on in the house. But there was something about cooking in a fry pan that was just beyond him.
“I’ll be down in a minute,” Harry said. “I want to change first.”
“Alright, kid,” Vincent said. “But hurry. I’m not sure how long I can hold him off.”
“Will do,” Harry said.
Vincent nodded and walked out of the room. Once he was gone, Harry stood up and walked over to his closet. In no time, Harry had thrown on his favorite comfortable clothes and was heading downstairs. He was sure someone would say something about his clothes. Cora had planned out the entire Circle’s outfits for pretty much every day of the Hunt. But Harry wasn’t interested in being dressed up today.
So, he walked downstairs in the clothes that he wanted to wear.
The kitchen was chaos by the time Harry made it into the room. Apparently, in the time Vincent had left the room in Desmonds’ hands, Lewis had tried to take over and it…hadn’t ended well. It seemed half of the breakfast that had been made already had been ruined somehow.
Now, Lewis was stuck to a stool at the end of the kitchen counter so he couldn’t touch anything else and Desmond was starting a new batch of eggs.
Lewis looked up when Harry came in. He smiled at Harry like he normally did be there was something in his eyes that made him look guilty. Or maybe Harry was just seeing things.
They were just finishing up with breakfast when Cora walked into the kitchen with Henry behind her. Harry froze, not quite sure how to act around his adopted Mera after what he had heard the night before. What was he supposed to say to her? He wasn’t even sure how he was supposed to feel yet.
But then he caught sight of the other Submissive’s face out of the corner of his eyes.
Cora’s eyes were completely red with dark circles under them.
It looked like she would start crying at any second.
Harry was shocked. He’d never seen Cora like this before. Usually when she was upset she either got angry or very quiet. But he was sure that he only ever saw her cry once before, and that was when they’d lost their unborn child unexpectedly shortly after Harry’s inheritance. Cora still mourned that loss along with her Bonded. It had made them focus entirely on him rather than trying again yet.
He did his best to act as normal as possible with the others as they made breakfast and slowly the other Peverells began to emerge and fill the dining area.
They had breakfast together as they usually did but there was an underlying tension this morning. Cora didn’t eat at all despite the prompting of several of her Bonded and Harry picked at his food quietly instead of joining the morning chatter. All the while Lewis’ eyes darted back and forth between the two of them as if he expected one of them to fly off the handle.
Finally, breakfast ended and Harry immediately made a beeline for the door while the others started cleaning up. Usually, Harry would stay and help but right now Harry just wanted to escape.
Before he could leave the room, though, Cora stopped him. “Harry?” she said, her voice much more fragile than usual. It was reminding Harry of the way she was right after the last miscarriage and Harry hated it. He wanted to be mad but he also didn’t want to hurt her.
Loving someone was complicated.
Harry stopped, his hand on the corner and already half way through the entryway. His shoulders were tensed slightly, but he tried to make his voice as casual as possible. “Yeah,” Harry said.
“Harry…darling, we need to talk,” Cora said, softly.
Harry knew that was coming. He’d heard as much from them the night before. But that didn’t mean he was mentally prepared. He didn’t even know if he wanted to have this conversation. Not until he had decided how he wanted to handle it. But he couldn’t say that without giving up that he already knew what she wanted to say. And then his parents would want to ‘talk about it’ even more and they’d be right back to where they started anyway.
Sighing, Harry let his hand drop to his side and turned around as casually as he could. Thankfully, his parents weren’t expecting him to act ‘normal.’ Not after his day yesterday. So whatever expression was on his face, they probably just assumed it had something to do with that.
“What is it?” Harry said, tilting his head to help with the image of him being oblivious to this.
“I believe this is a conversation we should all sit down for,” Henry said, coming up to stand behind Cora.
The rest of their family looked over, curious at what exactly was going on. Clearly, Cora had not told everyone about what had been done. Henry gave them a look and then all of them were moving towards the sitting room without another word. Harry was the last to move but he knew he wasn’t getting out of it with Henry overseeing it.
Once everyone was seated, the whole Circle turned to look at Cora while Harry stared at the ground. It seemed to take her a lot of effort, but eventually Cora admits it. Admits what she’d done to the Heart Cry array.
There were several shocked faces and sounds of surprise at the admission. But then she went on. Just like last night, she started telling them about the years before now as well.
Harry’s face remained blank as she spoke while he internally processed the emotions that were once more swirling through his gut. He tried tuning most of the words out this time, already knowing what she had to say about it. If he focused on them too closely, Harry was sure to boil over. Especially since he not only had his own twisting emotions to deal with but also his family’s emotions that were currently battering at the already weak shield he had against them.
It seemed to take ours for Cora to get everything out, but Harry wasn’t sure. He was sure when the apologies started though.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Harry. I’m not even really sure why I was doing it. It…just felt like the only thing I could do,” she said. She started to try to explain what she had done, but Harry cut her off before she could get anything else out.
“I know,” he said.
Cora went silent for a second, her mouth opening and closing. When she spoke she was only able to get out one word. “What?”
“I came back to the sitting room last night,” Harry said. “I heard what you said to Lewis.”
“Oh,” Cora said, her expression breaking slightly. “Harry, I…I know what I did was unforgivable, but—”
“Don’t,” Harry said, voice cracking. Cora cut herself off while she looked at her adopted son. “I know you weren’t trying to hurt me but…right now that’s not enough. And I really don’t want to say something that we’ll both regret.” Harry suddenly stood up from where he was between Vincent and Desmond. “I'm going to my room. I would like to be alone right now.”
A couple of his parents called after him, but Harry just continued walking out of the room without another word. He was hardly down the hall when he heard the voices of his family start in a confused mix of surprise and anger. In the next second it cut off as someone cast a silencing spell and then only quiet echoed in Harry's ears. He sighed as he continued down the hallway, lost in his own thoughts. Just as he was about to open the door of his room, though, a hand on his arm stopped him. Startled, Harry didn't think about it as he looked up, giving Lewis an eyeful of the tears on his face as his Uncle stood in front of him.
“Oh, Harry,” Lewis said, face falling.
“I'm fine,” Harry said, brushing the tears away in a hurry. “Did you want something?”
“I just…I wanted to apologize as well. I should have noticed that—”
Harry's laugh was hollow. “If anyone should have noticed, it's me. You're her Bonded Uncle Lewis, not her. Just because you share a bond doesn't mean you know every thought that passes through her head,” Harry said.
“Still…I would completely understand if you were mad at us as well, Harry. We should have stopped this. We should have—”
“I'm not mad at you. I don't even know if I'm mad at her. It's just—” Harry stopped, taking a shaky breath as he looked straight at Lewis. “I thought she loved me.”
“Oh, sweet one,” Lewis said, wrapping his arms around the young Submissive. “She does love you.”
“Then why would she do this?” Harry said, his voice muffled against Lewis’ chest.
Lewis sighed. He didn't have an answer for the boy. He didn't know if he fully understood it himself.
Gently kissing the top of Harry's head, Lewis reached out and opened the door of Harry's room. “Come on, kid. Let’s lay down for a little while,” Lewis said.
Harry didn’t fight him as he was pulled into the room and over to his bed. In no time at all Harry was back in bed laying on his side with Lewis facing him. They were silent for a long while as Harry looked blankly in front of himself, tears slowly trailing down his face. When he couldn’t handle it anymore, Lewis reached out and gently wiped the tears away.
“What would you like to do now?” Lewis said.
“What?” Harry said, trying to reorganize his sluggish thoughts.
“Now that you know what’s been going on, what would you like to do? Should I reach out to the main family and ask one of them to sponsor you? Or would you like to pull out of it?” Lewis said. “Or—”
“I want to find them,” Harry said abruptly.
“Find who?” Lewis said, a little shocked.
“The Alphas. The ones that made it through the second ring. I want to find them,” Harry said.
“Oh…Harry, I don’t know if—”
“I felt them. Or…at least one of them. I don’t know which, though,” Harry said, brows furrowing slightly.
“What do you mean you felt them, Harry?” Lewis said, seriously.
“I don’t know…it just felt like there was something connecting us even through the barrier. It…It hurt when they couldn’t get through,” Harry said, looking away from Lewis.
Lewis felt like someone had dumped cold water on him. Was that possible? Was one of the Alphas from yesterday Harry’s Soul Bond? Or had Harry just been so desperate that he’d imagined it? He couldn’t decide which option would be worse. Swallowing thickly, Lewis nodded slowly. “We…can try Harry. But I don’t know if we’ll be able to. Especially with how backed up all the official offices are with different requests because of the Hunt,” Lewis said.
“I know,” Harry said. “But I’d like to try.”
“Then, I’ll help you, Harry. In whatever way I can.”
Harry bit his lip, thinking something over before he looked at Lewis seriously. “You…You know one of them, right?” Harry said. “You said he was a Healer. Last night”
Lewis frowned slightly with the reminder that Harry had been listening to him and Cora. He wished Harry hadn’t found out quite that way. It was his fault for not checking for eavesdroppers, though. He knew Harry had a habit of over hearing things he probably shouldn’t. It had started when he went to school and only got worse as he got older. “Yes,” Lewis said at last. “I recognized him from one of the clinics. But I don’t know his name. We were never formally introduced; you know how it is when I go into the clinics. It’s almost always because of an emergency and there’s not a whole lot of socializing going on.”
“I know,” Harry said, his voice a little smaller.
“So…I’m not sure how much that will help. It’s not like I can ask for a list of all the Alpha Healers in Nevarah.”
“Oh…” Harry said, his shoulders drooping slightly. “Right. I guess not.”
“Hey now,” Lewis said, tapping Harry on the nose. “Don’t get so discouraged. Just because we don’t know their names doesn’t mean we can’t find them some other way.”
“Like what?” Harry said a little mulishly.
“Well…it’s a long shot, but we could try the registration office. They might have an idea of who we should ask for more information at the very least,” Lewis said.
“You think?”
“We won’t know unless we try,” Lewis said.
“When can we go?” Harry said, sitting up slightly.
“Not so fast,” Lewis said, pushing him gently back down. “I can see the bags beneath your eyes. You haven’t slept have you?” Lewis said.
Harry wanted to deny it, but when Lewis raised an eyebrow at him all he could do was sigh. “No…”
“That’s what I thought. We’re not going anywhere today. You’re going to take the day and just sleep. Do you understand?” Lewis said.
Lewis almost thought the boy was about to cry as he stared down at the sheets. “I can’t sleep,” he said. “My mind won’t shut off.”
Reaching out, Lewis dragged Harry into a hug, unable to keep himself from comforting him the only way he knew how. “I’ll stay with you,” Lewis said. “We can sit here and talk until your brain is so bored of my voice you pass out.”
“You don’t have something you need to do today? You’re not too busy?” Harry said.
“I’m never too busy for you, kiddo. Today we sleep and tomorrow we can go searching for those Alphas of yours. Starting at the registrar.”
Harry’s lips finally quirked up into a soft smile. “Thank you,” Harry said.
“Any time, Harry,” Lewis said.
It was quiet for a moment as Harry thought about something while Lewis ran a gentle hand over his back. Finally, Harry looked up at the Pareya once more. “Do you think Henry would help? Could we ask his contacts?” Harry said.
Lewis was a little startled at the question, but he nodded slowly, thoughtfully. “We can try. I’m sure he’d be willing. If I recall he has an associate who either is or has a Bonded that is one of the Earth Clan heirs. I can’t remember. That particular Circle has been rather closed off recently,” Lewis said.
“Can you ask him?” Harry said, quietly.
Lewis smiled and brushed the hair away from Harry’s face. “Sure, sweet one. Would you like me to ask him now?” Lewis said.
“Can you?” Harry said.
“Not a problem, kid,” Lewis said as he rolled over and off the bed. “I’ll be right back.”
Harry nodded and Lewis started walking towards the door. Just before Lewis was about to leave the room, though, Harry called after him. “Lewis?”
The Pareya looked back at him with a gentle smile. “Yeah, Harry?”
Harry chewed on his lips for a moment, trying to think of how he wanted to say the next part. Finally, he sighed and just asked. “Can we take another trip to the records library again? See if there’s any clues about…about my other family?” Harry said. He couldn’t quite meet Lewis’ eyes as he asked that.
Lewis’ smile turned a little sad at that. “Sure.”
“It’s just…with people coming back on realm for the Hunt, maybe some things have been updated. Or maybe there’s someone that could check it for us. Or maybe—”
“Harry,” Lewis said, holding up a hand and interrupting the Submissive’s rambling. Harry’s words came to a halt, his cheeks darkening. “I understand. It’s okay. Of course we can go check the records. Would you like to go there tomorrow after we go to the registration office?”
“Yeah?” Harry said.
“Absolutely,” Lewis said. “And we’ll get ice cream afterwards. Just you and me. Okay, kid?”
“Thank you, Uncle Lewis,” Harry said.
Lewis smiled again, nodding at Harry before he stepped out of the room. After he’d closed the door behind himself, Lewis leaned against it and closed his eyes. Arielle, this was…He sighed. He had a feeling this was going to get worse before it got better. Hopefully, they were able to find those Alphas and put Harry’s questions to rest. And if it turned out he was just projecting those feelings because of the desperation Lewis knew he felt, then he could get back to Hunting for real. Without anyone else’s interference. Even from his Circle.
Harry
Notes:
It's like...I want to be mad at Cora too man...but I'm just sad
Chapter 3: An Unusual Pair
Summary:
Harry's not the only one affected.
Notes:
Due to recent events I want to leave this note and I hope this reaches those needed.
I found out last week that someone had posted a new Dragel fic that took 'inspiration' from my longer fic (TCTSH) as well as three other author's stories. However, that inspiration was actually copying and pasting large portions of each of our stories and reorganizing them into a mishmash. I'm not going to name the fic or even the author because I have no desire to give them a larger platform. I will say that they did not have permission from any of us to do so.
I want you all to know that I love writing. It is my favorite thing to do. While fanfic may be just a 'hobby' my writing is a part of me. My thoughts and my words. No one has permission to take the intellectual property of any person and present it as their own.
If there are people who want to take aspects of my ideas and make their own, that is absolutely okay. However, it needs to be your own. If you have a question about what you want to do, you can leave a comment any time. I read them all and I answer any questions you all send. Also, if you are in the "Scion is Random" discord, I have the same username there. Link to the discord can be found on Scion's main story (TBDH) as far as I know.
Overall, please please please remember to ask any other author's before using their fanfic ideas and OCs. This is not an experience I want any of our authors to have to go through.
Now...enough of the heavy! Please enjoy this third chapter!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
An Unusual Pair
After the young Peverell Submissive had been led away from the Stadium, there were still Gheyos struggling in the sublevels with two particular individuals.
“Damn it,” Meena said as her men wrestled one of them down only for the other to start shifting, their form growing to the point where it might become too large for the room. “One of them has gone completely feral. Someone get one of the Blood Titles down here. Quick!”
One of the younger Gheyo darted off towards the stairs in order to signal for help while the others were left to deal with the current problem.
Their very large problem.
A deafening roar echoed around the stone chamber they were in and more than one person clapped their hands over their ears. However, the blue and gold scaled dragon now crouched in their midst wasn’t giving them the chance to worry about their hearing. Its fore feet crashed to the floor, sending an earthquake rippling out around it, and its tail swung around its body, sending more than a few people flying.
It had the added effect of knocking away the Gheyos that had managed to briefly pin the purple haired Alpha down. Now, he was free as well and they were dealing with the possibility that he would slip into a completely feral state as well.
Luckily, it was at that moment that there was a sharp crack of lightning and Blood Rayne was standing in the middle of the room. A second later a portal opened beside her and the Blood Wraith was transported into the room as well. The two of them were in full armor as they appeared and immediately started assessing the situation.
The relief of the present Gheyos was visible as the two Blood Titles showed up and Meena attempted to reorganize her people as the two of them started forward.
“What got these two wound so tightly?” Greta said, glaring back at the fully transformed Dragon as its roar shook the room once more and it snapped its teeth too close to the Joker trying to restrain it.
“One of the Heart Cries,” Meena said. “The array rejected them but…It seems that wasn’t enough to snap them out of it. We had to drag them away and that only sent them into a Feral Episode.”
“This will be fun, then,” Ilsa said, sarcastically.
As if to emphasize what she was saying, the purple haired Alpha suddenly stomped his foot on the ground. The floor cracked at his foot and then sent splinters of stone out towards the Gheyos trying to approach him. At the same time, his wings ripped from his back and gold, bronze, and dark purple scales covered every inch of visible skin.
It seemed they wouldn’t just have one feral Dragon to deal with if they didn’t end this soon. The only question was how they were going to deal with this.
“Greta, take that one. I’ll deal with the Dragon,” Ilsa said, already walking towards their bigger problem.
“Yes, Ace,” Greta said, pulling her weapons out as lightning sparked between her hands.
Greta shot off towards the purple scaled Alpha. She wanted to have him restrained as quickly as possible to avoid an even bigger issue than they had already.
While she dealt with that one, Ilsa kept her focus entirely on the Dragon. She trusted her King to be fine without her help considering it was only one little Alpha.
The blue Dragon shook his head to brush away one of the Gheyo and then his eyes snapped over to where Ilsa was approaching him. He seemed to know instinctively that she was the biggest threat. Giant teeth bared as the Dragon growled loudly in her direction, crouching lower as if ready to pounce.
Ilsa smiled vaguely. It had been a long time since she’d had a good fight outside of the ring.
The room suddenly filled with the sound of growls as both of them helped the present Gheyo restrain the Alphas. It wasn’t easy. They weren’t Gheyo, but both Alphas had a significant amount of Earth magic to pull from. The blue scaled Alpha even had enough to go head to head with Ilsa even with her position as the Gorgens Clan heir and the Caspers she held.
There were several close calls as the Dragon swung its spiked tail through the tight space and the other Alpha sent several cracks rippling out from where Greta was trying to subdue him.
Despite the Alphas’ strength and feral states, though, it was clear they were running out of energy after taking on so many Gheyo. With the force of the Blood Titles against them as well, it was only a matter of time.
Quicker than even the other Dragels could follow, Ilsa was in front of the blue Dragon. Even the dragon didn’t notice what was coming for him until Ilsa was almost too close. He turned his head and snapped at the Ace with inches to spare. Ilsa turned almost in mid air to avoid the bite and pulled on the power of her Caspers as she went for a different angle.
Unfortunately, even though the Dragon was large, his strike was faster than a snakes. As Ilsa looked for an angle there were more than a few close calls. At the same time, she could see that his stamina was nowhere close to her own. If she wanted, she could just keep playing with the Alpha until he passed out.
And yet, Ilsa could see him slipping further and further into a feral state as the time went on. Not good. It wasn’t just dangerous for the people who were trying to corral the Alpha, it was dangerous for the Alpha himself. If they weren’t able to get a handle on this soon, there was a chance this Alpha would be stuck in his dragon form for…an undetermined amount of time. It could just be hours, or days, or even weeks in some cases.
At the end of the day, taking the time to wear the Alpha out wasn’t going to be an option.
Ilsa took a second and cracked her neck. It was time to get this done with.
On the other side of the room, Greta was having a little too much fun playing with the other Alpha. She was taking advantage of her lightning to flash around the room. She appeared to the left of where he stood and then flashed quickly to the other in order to coral him into a certain spot. It was definitely irritating the tall Alpha. An almost constant stream of growls were pouring from his mouth as he attempted to keep his eyes on the King.
There were a few times he was almost able to send rocks shooting at Greta from the cracking floor, but the King was used to dealing with far worse from Ilsa. However, there was one particular point where Greta thought that he might be starting to anticipate where Greta was going to appear next. But she brushed it off and just continued throwing things at him.
Thankfully, between her and the Gheyo waiting in the wings, they were able to pin the Alpha and get him restrained before anything further happened.
With him taken care of, Greta turned to check on her Ace only to see that things on that side of the room weren’t quite as wrapped up. Ilsa was still dodging the blue Dragon as it snapped its jaws too close to the Ace.
Greta ordered the Gheyo to watch the purple scaled Alpha and ran off to help Ilsa. Even if she knew that her Ace would eventually be able to wear down the blue Dragon, she couldn’t stop herself from offering her help. She approached them from the Dragon’s blind spot, trying to angle herself where Ilsa could see her without taking her eyes off the Alpha.
She was just a few feet from the Dragon’s tail when Ilsa’s sharp gold eyes darted to the side and caught on her. Greta gave her Ace a sharp grin and showed Ilsa she was ready. Ilsa rolled her eyes and made a few motions with her hands to signal where she wanted the King and then stepped closer to the Dragon to distract him as Greta shifted her position.
Once she was in place, they met each other’s eyes over the head of the blue Dragon and smirked at exactly the same time. There was no doubt or hesitation as they moved at the same time, ready to take on the force of nature this Alpha seemed to be.
Running straight at his sides, they waited until the last possible second. Then they darted to the sides to come at him from another angle. It seemed to be the trick they needed as the Dragon hesitated a little too long and Ilsa and Greta were able to pull one over on him. Ilsa swung herself over his tail and started running up its back. Greta took another way around, diving under the Dragon’s neck and then grabbing onto the spines on its neck to pull herself up at the same time Ilsa reached his neck.
The Dragon roared, sending their ears ringing, but it was too late for the tantrum now. The two Blood Titles worked together, using their strength and Elements to bring the Dragon down to the ground. Greta snapped electrified manacles onto his legs and tail while Ilsa used her weapon to hold down the head of the spiked Dragon.
With the Dragon and purple Alpha both restrained, the Healers were swiftly brought in in order to check on both of them and force the reversion on the blue Dragon before things had a chance to get out of hand again. Ilsa and Greta stayed where they were while the Healers worked. They could feel the Dragon struggling, but made no move to shift even an inch until finally he started changing back.
The Dragon’s angry roar changed to rough yelling as the second Alpha was made human once more. Greta and Ilsa stayed close by but moved their weapons so they were no longer pointed at him. He hissed at the two Gheyo but didn’t move to attack them again.
“No need to be so snappy with us,” Greta said. “We’re not the ones that started it.”
The Alpha clenched his teeth, and looked up through his pale blue hair to meet first Greta and then Ilsa’s eyes. Ilsa watched him curiously. She’d only seen a few Dragels with eyes that specific shade of gold. Her eyes narrowed slightly as soon as she noticed it, a flurry of questions rushing through her mind. Then he glanced away and finally spoke up in a raspy voice. “You’ll forgive me if I’m not interested in being cordial right now,” he said.
“Perhaps I won’t,” Greta said, rolling her shoulders.
He didn’t say anything else to that and Ilsa turned to observe the room once more.
Without the Dragon shaking the walls, everything suddenly felt too quiet. The Gheyo who were currently picking themselves up now kept a respectable distance between themselves and the blue haired Alpha that looked so innocent compared to just a few minutes ago.
“What’s your name?” Ilsa said, staring at the blue haired Gheyo.
His gold eyes flicked to hers once more and then around the room impatiently. He looked reluctant to talk but ultimately sighed and turned back to the Blood Wraith. “Silas Tempest.”
That got Greta’s attention. “Tempest? The Storm Clan? But you’re—”
“Earth. Got a problem with that?” Silas said.
“Obviously not,” Greta said, leaning against Ilsa.
Ilsa’s eyes narrowed for just a second before she looked over towards the purple haired Alpha that was currently standing with a Gheyo restraining him from either side. “And you?” she said.
“Vasili. Maelle Vasili,” he said, tilting his chin up as if he expected some sort of challenge. Greta looked a little amused at his posturing, but Ilsa just ignored it as she gestured Meena forwards.
“Have you both gotten all of that out of your system, then,” she said.
Maelle looked slightly startled. Apparently he’d been ready for some sort of argument with the Blood Title and the complete dismissal had taken some of the wind out of his sails.
But not Silas’.
“Excuse us for being upset,” Silas said sarcastically. “They dragged us out of the Stadium as if we were animals.”
“You resisted,” Meena said. “Next time…Don’t.”
“Easy for you to say,” Maelle muttered.
Silas ignored him. “Are you going to allow us out now?” he said.
“Can’t,” Meena said. Both Alphas’ expressions twisted and it was clear they were about to argue when Ilsa held up a hand impatiently towards them. “Meena needs the okay from the surface. The Submissive had trouble leaving the stage as well. The organizers are worried about any of you coming into contact with each other again until things settle. They want to make sure he is clear of the area before either of you leave the safety of this room.”
“You mean the confines,” Maelle said.
Meena shrugged. “Whatever you prefer. Either way, you’re stuck here for a little while.”
Maelle scoffed, but Meena paid him no mind as she ushered her Gheyos out of the room. She directed the last two to Gheyo to stand outside the door and then sent a serious look back at the two Alphas.
“Stay here and chill out. We’ll be back for the both of you.”
Silas stayed slumped over on the ground while Maelle paced back and forth around the room. He was growling, his hands clenching and unclenching at his side as he struggled to maintain his emotions. Being underground should have calmed him, but knowing that they weren’t allowed to leave was making him itch. His nerves were so stretched he was sure one more thing would probably set him off.
Why were they doing this?
As soon as he’d gotten close to the green-eyed Submissive he had felt the thread of the Soul Bond between them. It was…indescribable what that felt like. He couldn’t believe it at first. It had been unexpected when he’d responded to the Heart Cry to begin with. But to find that there was a Soul Bond to the little Submissive as well…
And then he’d reached a hand towards him and the stupid runic wall had sprung up and created an impossible barrier. Impossible because how could the runic array keep out a Soul Bond.
Why would it?
It didn’t make any sense.
The frustration had only grown when he saw the realization hit the Submissive as well. The keening cry that had left his lips had practically torn his heart from his chest.
And yet there had been something that had kept them apart. Something written into the array that said they were not suited.
How? It didn’t make any sense and Maelle wasn’t sure how to go about finding answers for all the questions. The Submissive had been from a noble family. The Peverells of all things. They were a respected Clan with lots of influence and he was sure the Submissive had many suitors and options when it came to Bonded. Maelle had no Clan name to back his suit in order to allow him to Court a Submissive of his rank. Not without an introduction at least.
And it was a long shot that he’d ever get one of those.
Maelle reached out and smacked a fist against the wall.
“Would you cut it out,” Silas said, his voice carefully even.
Maelle scoffed. “Easy enough for you to say. You’ve already had your chance to throw some of them around.”
Silas chuckled humorlessly as he finally stood up. “I thought Healers weren’t supposed to cause harm,” Silas said.
“Shut up. Even Healers get mad. Don’t you want to hit them?” Maelle said.
“I couldn’t give a shit about them,” Silas said, frowning at the wall the Gheyo had disappeared behind.
That had Maelle spinning to meet the eyes of the younger Alpha. “You felt it too?” Maelle said.
“It seems so,” Silas said.
“How is that possible?” Maelle said. “Submissives can’t have two Alphas.”
“No. They can’t,” Silas said, simply.
Maelle’s eyes narrowed on him. “I won’t give him up,” Maelle said.
Silas just looked back at him calmly. “Nor will I.”
They regarded each other uneasily for a few long moments before Silas tilted his head to the side as he watched Maelle. He was the first to break the silence between them. “What would you say to a temporary truce?” Silas said, thoughtfully.
“What do you mean?” Maelle said.
“Do you have a way to get in contact with the Submissive?” Silas said, his tone already saying he knew the answer.
Maelle frowned. Of course not. They had just been denied publicly. If they were to simply send a favor then it wouldn’t even reach the Submissive. It would be seen as harassment and they wouldn’t probably be up in front of the Courts before the end of the week. Approaching him in person during the Hunt would most likely have a similar outcome. According to the runic array, there was a reason they had been rejected after all. That’s why the coordinators kept track of everyone called forward by the Heart Cries. It made it so if irrational individuals felt slighted they wouldn’t be able to retaliate against the Submissive.
So their options would be limited.
The best would be if they knew someone who could formally introduce them to the Submissive. But with him coming from the Peverells…There were few families that would realistically be able to initiate a formal introduction with someone from that Clan. And they didn’t even know what branch of the family he belonged to, anyway.
His chest felt tight as he thought about it. What could he do?
“What did you have in mind, then?” Maelle said.
“Work together,” Silas said. “Combine our resources until we’re able to find him.”
“A temporary truce,” Maelle said, using the other’s words.
“Yes,” Silas said.
“And then what? What happens when we do find him,” Maelle said. There would be no ifs. They would manage to find the little Submissive.
Silas shrugged, the gesture appearing casual while the tense set of his body showed that he wasn’t. “We’ll let him choose. Let him decide which of us he wants,” Silas said.
“And if he can’t? If there really is a bond there with both of us?” Maelle said.
Slowly, Silas looked up to meet Maelle’s eyes and, despite the other Alpha still being crouched on the ground, Maelle couldn’t help take a half step back. The gold in Silas’ eyes was bleeding into the rest of his eyes until they were entirely gold. No pupil. No whites. It was an eerie sight.
“I am willing to fight to defend my rank,” he said, the tone of his voice sending a shiver up Maelle’s spine. “Are you?”
Maelle clenched his fists. He would not let himself be intimidated by the smaller Alpha. Even if he was, obviously, powerful. “Of course,” he spat. “I’m Alpha.”
Silas blinked, his eyes going back to normal, and smirked at the other Alpha. “Well then, we have our answer,” he said.
Before either could say more, the wall shifted again. The Air Ace who had been in charge initially entered the room with ten others at her back and stared at the two Alphas impassively. She was glaring at the both of them impatiently and Silas finally stood at last. Meena was several inches taller than him, but something about the way he looked back at the Ace made it seem like he towered over her for a moment. Maelle shook his head rubbing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, whatever odd tension there was had faded.
“You can leave now,” Meena said at last. “My men will escort you directly out of the Stadium. You are to stay with them until you reach the exit. You also will need to stay away from the main Stadium for the duration of the day. You may return tomorrow.”
“What?” Maelle said. “But what about our families? I had my little sister with me in the stands!”
Meena just clenched her teeth before answering. “Your families have been notified. They will meet you outside of the Stadium. They have been informed of the temporary restrictions,” she said. “Now let’s go.
Maelle frowned deeply, but he walked forward, eager to be out of this place. The Gheyos watched him uneasily but directed him into the middle of one of the groups simply enough.
On the other hand, Silas stood defiantly in front of Meena for a long moment. The Gheyos behind her shifted uneasily, ready to jump back in if the Alpha was set off again. But Silas just walked calmly past Meena, out of the door, and then passed the others. The group of Gheyo seemed to forget that they were supposed to be escorting him for a moment and scrambled to arrange themselves around him. Instead of him being led out by them, though, it seemed like Silas was the one leading the rest of them.
Once they were outside the Stadium, the Gheyo were happy to leave the two Alphas behind. Very quickly, the two Alphas were alone once more.
Maelle shifted awkwardly for a moment before he looked over at Silas who was looking back towards the stadium.
“So,” Maelle said. “What was your plan, then?”
Silas slowly reached up and ran his thumb over a pendant hanging from his right ear. “I suppose,” Silas said. “That we should start by going to have a little chat with a friend.”
Silas Tempest
Maelle Vasili
Notes:
O.O What have I done?
Chapter 4: Searching for Information
Summary:
Harry goes looking for ways to get information. About the Alphas...and his family
Notes:
I...should be asleep right now. XD Here's a chapter instead.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Searching For Information
Harry was getting dressed before the rest of the house was awake. Maybe it was childish of him, but he wasn’t ready to deal with the others just yet. First, he needed some time to get things straight in his own head and find out some information for himself.
Knowing he’d be going to the registration office, Harry pulled out one of the formal robes that Vincent had so carefully selected for each day of the Hunt. The white robes were more simple than most of the others and Harry doubted these had been the particular ones Vincent had planned for the day, but the fabric was too soft to pass up as soon as he’d touched it. He also put on the bracelet with his identification charm, but otherwise he chose not to wear any jewelry. Not even his Clan ring.
Once he was dressed, Harry took a deep breath and then left his room.
The entire house was silent as he walked down to the main room. He almost thought he’d make it out of the house before he came across anyone, but of course with his luck, that would never happen.
Despite the hour, Henry was up and quietly reading through one of the newsreels which seemed to be reporting on significant moments from the Hunt so far. Harry avoided looking at it and wondered if he could casually walk out without Henry saying anything. Before he could take a step, though, Henry lowered his screen to stare at him.
“Aren’t you going to wait for Lewis?” Henry said.
“What?” Harry said, eyes wide as he froze.
Henry raised an eyebrow. “Did you ask him to go with you? I’m sure he’d be upset if you left without saying anything,” Henry said.
“Oh,” Harry said, cheeks feeling hot. “I just didn’t want to…”
“Run into anyone else?” Henry said. The Alpha took the chagrined expression on Harry’s face as confirmation and sighed. Then he looked towards the main Resting Room for a second before his eyes turned back to Harry. “He’ll be out in a minute.”
“Thank you,” Harry said.
“Of course, my son,” Henry said, making Harry blush even more than before. At the look, Henry swiped the screen away and stood so he could stand in front of the young Submissive. “Maybe I do not say it enough, but you are my son Harry. Regardless of blood, you’ve been our son since the day Lewis brought you to us. And I’m very sorry, dear one, that I did not notice before what was going on.”
Harry was already shaking his head, trying to brush off the apology. “You’re busy,” Harry said.
“That is not an excuse,” Henry said.
“Maybe, but…I didn’t even notice. How were you supposed to know?” Harry said.
“Because it is my responsibility as your parent. Because it is my job to keep you safe. And because our personal grief was not an excuse to neglect your wellbeing at such a crucial time in your life,” Henry said.
Harry stared down at his feet, not quite sure what to say. He’d never had a problem with believing that his family loved him. They had never given him a reason to question it. At least not until what he’d overheard from Cora. Now the automatic response to tell the Alpha it was no big deal just wouldn’t come. He couldn’t make himself say that it was okay. Because it wasn’t and they both knew that.
Thankfully, he was saved from having to come up with an answer as Lewis walked into the room at that moment. He looked a little rumpled, like he got dressed in a hurry, but he smiled when he saw Harry.
“Hey kid,” Lewis said. “You ready to go?”
“Yes,” Harry said, a little uncertain. “Are you?”
“Of course, I—” Henry cleared his throat gently, cutting him off. Lewis turned to the Alpha only for Henry to nod towards the hall mirror. His brows furrowed slightly, but he cursed as soon as he saw his reflection. A quick spell later had his clothing righted and his hair lying as flat as it could be. “Sorry. Guess I wasn’t paying attention,” Lewis said.
“Make sure you stay a little more attentive while you’re out today, please,” Henry said.
“I will, Alpha,” Lewis said. “I’m not sure when we’ll be back, though. Will you all—”
“We’ll be fine,” Henry said. “You go and do what you need to do and then try to have some fun today. Remember, the Hunt is meant to be fun.” He said the last part while looking at Harry and the Submissive couldn’t keep himself from blushing at the reminder.
“And…About what we talked about last night,” Lewis said, looking a little awkward.
Henry waved him off. “I’ve already set up a meeting. Don’t worry about it now,” Henry said.
“Right,” Lewis said a little brighter. “Let’s get going, then Harry. We can get some food at that bakery near the autumn grove on our way.”
“But—”
“No buts. You need to eat,” Lewis said. Harry didn’t argue that, but Lewis didn’t miss the slight frown on his face before he turned away. “Don’t worry, Harry. We have time to have breakfast. The office doesn’t even open for another hour. We’ll still be there plenty early enough that we won’t have much of a line. Okay.”
“Okay,” Harry said.
“Good,” Lewis said, smiling. “Bye, Henry. We’ll see you later.”
“By dinner time, Lewis,” Henry said.
“Got it,” Lewis said, already walking towards the door as he waved.
Harry looked between him and the Alpha quickly, hesitating. Finally, he whispered a quick, “Goodbye, Dad” to Henry in a shy voice before rushing after the Pareya.
“Next,” a bored voice said as the large man was moving to the side. Harry got a look at a pretty, young Gheyo with long hair and clear skin. She had her plated wings out and folded back over her muscled back that made it clear she was pretty active. However, right now, she was leaning against the large registrar desk looking completely done.
At least until she saw them and she perked up. “Lewis,” she said, smiling. “What are you doing here? Didn’t think your Circle would be Hunting.”
“Hello, Amari,” Lewis said. “We definitely aren’t Hunting. I’m just accompanying our son today.”
“Son?” Amari said, leaning over the desk as Lewis stepped to the side. “Oh, Lewis! He looks just like you! Hey there, cutie.”
“Hi,” Harry said, cheeks growing warm.
“Aw. Where have you been hiding him, Lewis?” Amari said.
“Away from you and your group of troublemakers,” Lewis said dryly.
“Oh, come on. We’re not that bad,” Amari said.
“Last time I saw you Wylowe was in the middle of healing three broken wings, sixteen broken ribs, four concussions, and severe burns on all of you,” Lewis said. “And what did you say you were doing?”
“That’s not important,” Amari said, standing back up and running a hand through her hair. “Now what is it I can do for you?”
“We’re hoping for some information about someone,” Lewis said.
“Well, I’d say you came to the right place,” Amari said. “What and who are you trying to get a hold of?”
“Well…that’s what we came to ask,” Lewis said.
Amari tilted her head to the side. “What?”
Lewis sighed and gestured Harry forward so he could explain. Harry stepped up hesitantly, tugging at the sleeves of his robes. He looked once at Lewis, getting a nod from the Pareya, before he sighed and met the Gheyo's eyes. “I'm looking for two Alphas that came to my public Heart Cry,” Harry said in one breath so he wouldn't have time to change his mind.
Amari took a moment to process the words before her brows furrowed. “You know you could just message them, right?” she said.
Harry could feel his cheeks burning but he didn't let himself look away. “I don't know their names,” Harry said.
“Kinda skipped a step there, didn't you?” Amari said, snorting.
Harry grimaced slightly at the misunderstanding. “They were dragged from the stage before I could ask,” he said.
“What…” she said turning to Lewis to see his deep frown. “Okay. I'm going to need the full explanation if you want help.”
Harry blew out a long breath and shook his head to clear his thoughts before answering her in a flat tone. He didn't need anyone saying he was just being emotional . “Something was wrong with my runic array and it rejected both of them. I believe it was a mistake,” Harry said.
“A mistake?” she said. “Did you talk with the organizers? It’s a serious thing for there to have been a mistake in the arrays.”
“Well…no,” Harry said, his eyes darting to Lewis.
Lewis cleared his throat. “It would seem the mistake was on our end,” he said.
“Oh?” Amari said, looking at him. Lewis nodded silently. When it was clear he wasn’t going to go into more detail, Amari frowned, tilting her head to the side as she looked them both over seriously. “Just to be clear, what are you asking for here?”
“I am looking for the names of the Alphas who were rejected by the last array,” Harry said.
“Ah,” Amari said, frowning. “Well, I’m not really allowed to do that.”
“Are you sure there couldn’t be an exception?” Harry said, his fingers clenching into the fabric of his robes.
“Sorry kiddo,” Amari said, looking down at the little Submissive. “There’s a protocol.”
“I’m not a child,” Harry said, his voice calm even if the look in his eyes was fierce. Even if his family still treated him as such he wouldn’t let a stranger do the same.
Amari raised an eyebrow at the reaction, lips twitching. “Whatever you say, Harry. But there’s really nothing I can do to help out here,” she said.
“Please, Amari. There has to be something,” Lewis said, frowning at Harry as the young Submissive stood locked up next to him.
“I wish I could,” she said. “But even if I wanted to, it’s not as simple as just looking up the name. The magic in the ceremony would have set up a block as soon as they crossed through the first array. Without going through the last, it makes it so neither parties are able to message the other. It also puts an alert to keep us from connecting those on either end. It’s meant to protect those involved from being harrassed if things don’t turn out the way they want it to. Otherwise not many high nobles or royals would allow their children to participate.”
Harry’s jaw clenched slightly as he lifted his chin. “I can’t leave without knowing,” he said.
“Why so determined?” Amari said, looking at him with confusion. “It’s not like—”
“There’s a possible Soul Bond in the mix,” Lewis said, interrupting her.
Amari’s mouth opened slightly at that. That made this a lot trickier. Still, it wasn’t like—
“Maybe…” Amari looked around them, making sure none of the other registration employees were nearby before leaning a little more over the desk. Then she started talking in a low voice that even Lewis and Harry had to strain to hear despite their proximity. “Look, I can’t give you any names,” she said, waving her hand to stop Harry when he opened his mouth to interrupt. “I can’t. You would have to go to the Courts to get that kind of thing overturned. But…”
“But?” Harry said.
“But…if someone were to, perhaps write a letter for them without a return sender and leave it here…Well, it’s not like I would have a reason not to deliver it. And if that letter perhaps had a day and time, it’s not like the magic would prevent you from seeing each other in person,” she said, looking around casually like she wasn’t telling him how to get around the system.
Harry looked over at Lewis, not quite able to push down the hope in his eyes. Lewis nodded and was already casting spells to conjure paper and pen. He handed them to Harry and the Submissive put them on the counter as he stared down at the blank page. A few minutes passed with him frozen there before he turned to Lewis.
“What do I say?” Harry said.
Lewis thought for a moment before gesturing for Harry to slide the paper back towards him. When he did, Lewis scrawled a quick note on the paper and slid it back to Harry.
Stadium Park
2pm
Friday
So simple.
“That’s two days from now,” Harry said, frowning slightly.
“Give them a chance,” Lewis said as he tapped the paper to create a duplicate. “If they don’t come here every day they might not get it before tomorrow.”
“Right,” Harry said, though he was reluctant to leave it at that. He looked back up at Amari seriously. “They’ll be able to get these?”
Amari shrugged. “They may or may not end up slipped into the rest of their messages and favors. Who could say?” she said, winking at Harry despite her straight face.
“Thank you, Amari,” Lewis said.
“Don’t thank me,” she said. “I haven’t done anything. Now, shoo you two. I’ve got to get back to my line.”
Harry glanced over his shoulder, seeing a much longer line than there had been when he arrived. How long had they been there? With a quick nod in the Gheyo’s direction, Lewis put a hand on Harry’s shoulder and led him out. Harry’s thoughts were a swarm and he hardly noticed where they were going.
A flash of blue caught his eye and Harry turned, thinking he recognized the color. However, there was nothing there when he looked around and Harry shook his head. He was probably just seeing things. There was no way he would just stumble on one of them like this. His luck didn’t work that way. So he ignored the weird mirage and allowed Lewis to lead him in the opposite direction towards their next destination.
Ithycar was already waiting when Henry arrived.
He’d called the other Alpha yesterday at Lewis’ behest hoping their past friendship would elicit a response despite the lack of reason or notice. Thankfully, Ithycar had taken his message without issue and agreed to meet him on the Alpha floors the next day. Considering what they were to talk about, this was probably for the best. It would mean little chance of either of there other Bonded being immediately involved at least.
It didn’t take long to spot Ithycar amongst the other Alphas. His white, Elven robes stuck out even amongst the various fashions the present Alphas were wearing for the occasion. However, more than his clothes, it was the man’s presence that made him noticeable. He was sitting cross-legged and drinking some sort of cocktail in a quiet corner of the space, but the bubble of space others had left around him made him even more conspicuous than if he’d been in the center of the crowd.
“Hello, Alpha Deveraine,” Henry said, once he stood in front of where Ithycar was lounging.
Ithycar looked up and then smirked as he stood up to face Henry. “Alpha Peverell,” Ithycar said.
The two of them laughed heartily and Ithycar stood to greet his friend warmly before gesturing for him to sit and join him. Very soon Henry had a drink of his own and Ithyca was humoring him in some minor small for several minutes as Henry relaxed. But obviously, they couldn’t just sit there talking about nothing all day. Not when Henry had so specifically asked for this meeting or one specific reason.
“So,” Ithycar said at last, gently swirling the liquid in his glass. “Why exactly did you ask me here? Your message was rather cryptic.”
Henry sighed. “Did you hear about the Submissive the other day from the Public Heart Cries?”
Ithycar raised an eyebrow. “Which one are you referring to exactly?”
“If you have to ask, you probably don’t know,” Henry said.
“I’m assuming,” Ithycar said, sighing. “That you mean the one who was…unsuccessful?”
“Yes,” Henry said, frowning as he traced a finger over the rim of the glass. “It was my son.”
“Your son…I didn’t realize your Circle had a child. Let alone one old enough to Hunt,” Ithycar said.
Right. Henry had forgotten how long the Deveraines had been out of touch. It was only recently that they had started reemerging within society. “He’s my adopted son. The grandson of my Pareya’s brother. We’ve been raising him since he was small.”
“Ah. I’m sorry I missed it. The years pass a little differently on the Elven realms,” Ithycar said.
“It’s okay,” Henry said, raising a hand to stop any more apologies. He hadn’t exactly reached out to his old friend while they were raising the boy.
Ithycar was quiet for a long moment before he looked back at the other Alpha. “How is he handling what happened?”
“Not particularly well,” Henry said.
“No…I can’t imagine he would be,” Ithycar said before tilting his head. “I have a feeling that you are looking for more than just moral support, though. What can I help you with?”
“Well…the runes that were set around Harry were not exactly…what he asked for,” Henry said.
“What?” Ithycar said, narrowing his eyes. “Are you saying one of the Rune Masters changed it?”
“No, no. They didn’t have anything to do with it. But it did happen,” Henry said.
“What exactly was added?” Ithycar said.
Henry sighed heavily, rubbing his eyes. “There was an Element block. It would only let Air Elements through,” Henry said.
“That’s…odd,” Ithycar said. “But not completely unheard of for some Clans.”
“The problem is, both of the Alphas that reached the second ring were Earth as far as I could tell,” Henry said. “I don’t think I even saw a single Air Alpha respond regardless.”
“That is…I don’t even know. I hope your son is able to overcome this. I know that is a rough experience for a Submissive especially,” Ithycar said.
“Yes, well…He’s taken a bit of a turn. He had a request and I’m hoping you can help me a bit with it,” Henry said.
“If it is within my power, of course. What is it?” Ithycar said.
“Harry wants to try to find the Alphas from the Heart Cries,” Henry said.
“Oh. Really? I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of such a thing,” Ithycar said.
“I’m aware. Lewis said the boy is pretty sure there was a Soul Bond with one of them. And now he’s afraid he has lost them,” Henry said.
“I’m sorry. That must be difficult,” Ithycar said, tapping a finger against the rim of his glass with a deep frown. “But, forgive me, I’m not sure what I can do to help.”
“I’m not sure you can. Honestly it’s a long shot, but I would try anything to give him a bit of hope,” Henry said. “But…if I remember correctly you have a Bonded close to one of the Clan Chiefs, yes?”
Ithycar tilted his head to the side. “Yes, that’s right. My Ace.”
Henry nodded to himself. “I know it is rather unusual…but would you mind asking your Ace to make an inquiry to the Earth Clans on our behalf? I’d go to Tauria, but I’m not sure she would listen and I have a feeling an Earth Clan would have a better chance getting word to either of these Alphas.”
“That is…” Ithycar said, eyebrows raising. “An interesting request.”
“Yes…” Henry leaning forward toward the other Alpha. “What do you think?”
Harry was amazed at the sight of the Nytura standing guard in Nevarah's central library like always. They stood so still it was hard to believe they were alive, but no sculptor could capture the level of detail in their shifting scales. He was also pretty sure the slitted eye of the one on the right watched him as he walked through the entrance before staring forward again.
Lewis didn't seem to notice. He led the way straight down the central aisle to the very back where a large collection of tapestries were placed for public view.
Harry knew the original Peverell tapestry hung in the Clan Chief, Tauria's, manor. He'd seen it once during a holiday celebration when he was little. It's possible she would have been willing to let them see the tapestry instead of coming here. However, that would take time since she'd probably want a full explanation into the reason for their inquiry. Plus, they needed access to more than just the Peverell family record. Harry just wasn't sure which other family he should be looking for.
It didn’t take long before Lewis found the cloth tapestry that showed their family tree. The Pareya was very familiar with it from the color and feel of the cloth to the hint of their family magic that clung to it. He’d looked at the thing often enough while looking for his brother that he could probably point out where every member of their family was on the tapestry with his eyes closed. It was how he knew of Harry’s existence and James’ death. A fact which had driven him to track the boy despite the cost it had taken to do so. As a result, once he’d pulled the tapestry out and laid it gently over the low table nearby, his fingers went straight to the corner where Harry’s name had been magically stitched into the fabric.
Harry for his part loved looking at the tapestry. He’d seen it multiple times over the years. Whenever he felt the old itch of curiosity he went to see if the blocks on the names surrounding had shifted. Or on the days when an unexplainable loneliness filled him and his mind tricked him into thinking being close to the unknown and invisible names and faces of his parents would make him feel better. It didn’t, but Harry still found himself enjoying the sight of it.
The Peverell family tapestry wasn’t a tree or pyramid like many of the others Harry had seen whenever he came here to find theirs. Instead, it was a swirl of clouds that surrounded each Circle in their Clan. Wispy Cirrus clouds made twisting connections between the different groups and gold filigree made the illusion of sunlight filtering through from behind. The dusky pink, cream, and pale blue of the threads in the background only made the details pop that much more. It was a vision that Harry didn’t think he’d ever get tired of looking at surrounding all the family that Harry knew he had.
And the two he hadn’t been able to figure out.
Once Lewis had completely smoothed it out he frowned and sighed before stepping back. Harry knew exactly what he’d seen, but he still took his place directly in front of where his family Circle showed on the tapestry. And there it was. Harry Potter Peverell was written in an elegant script with Harry’s own face staring back at him just below it. Cradled in the clouds above his own name was James Potter. The man looked like a replica of Lewis except his smile was a lot more mischievous and the wings on his back were the same mix of peach and silver as Harry’s with a slightly darker tint to the peach scales in the interior. It was the only image Harry had ever seen of his Bearer. However, his Sire and Third still remained mysteries. Still concealed to him exactly—
“It’s different,” Harry said, eyes going a little wider as he stared at the tapestry in front of him.
“What?” Lewis said, brows furrowing.
“It’s not the same as before,” Harry said. “Look. Last time you couldn’t see any part of their images. But now…you can see the edge. Almost. I don’t…”
“Maybe you’re just imagining it? It’s been a while. Maybe it was like that before and you just don’t remember,” Lewis said, frowning down at the fabric covered in their family’s images.
“No,” Harry said, shaking his head. “Look here. You can almost see the edge of the name. And there is color behind the grey here.” Harry pointed to two spots as he said it, directing Lewis’ gaze to it.
“How can that be?” Lewis said, running a hand over it like he could wipe away the last of the clouds hiding Harry’s parents. “What’s changed since we checked it last?”
Harry’s eyebrows drew together as he thought about it. The only thing significant that had happened to him recently was the public Heart Cry. And, surely, that could have nothing to do with it. They were hardly related after all. Unconsciously, Harry mimicked Lewis’s action, running his hand over the unseen name. Reach time his fingers passed over it, he expected to see something else, for it to go back to the way it had been. But the slightly blurred edges remained.
“Hello,” a deep, raspy, and slightly accented voice said from beside them. “Is there something I can assist you two with today?”
Harry startled at the sudden voice, automatically stepping away with the tapestry in his now curled fingers.
“Sorry,” they said, holding their hands up in front of them. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Ah, it’s okay,” Harry said, relaxing slightly when he caught sight of the gold embroidered color around the deep brown robes. He recognized the robes even if he didn’t recognize the young Dragel in front of him.
The male had smooth, dusky brown skin with a soft pink dusting his cheeks so perfect that Harry wasn’t sure if it was natural or some kind of makeup. Several gold earrings with different colored scales hung from each ear and even though he looked entirely relaxed a smattering of silver and peach scales decorated his visible skin.
“I’m Noel. I’m one of the Librarians. Is there anything I can do to assist you?” he said again.
“Oh,” Harry said. “Um…I don't think so?”
Noel smiled, his eyes almost sparkling with his own amusement. “That sounds like a question,” he said.
“Uh, I'm just not sure if it's something you'd be able to do anything about,” Harry said.
“Well, why don't you tell me what it is and I'll let you know. At the least, I should be able to point you in the right direction,” Noel said.
Harry hesitated for a moment, but it wasn’t like it would hurt anything. Slowly, he let his fingers unclench from the fabric as he turned it slightly towards the Librarian. “It’s just…The names are blurred. Not that they weren’t before. They’ve been blocked since before I came to Nevarah. It’s just…it looks different.”
“Blocked?” Noel said, looking at where Harry smoothed out the fabric. Noel frowned as his eyes ran over the tapestry and the blurred individuals surrounding two thirds of Harry’s own name. His name that now included Peverell in addition to his birth name. After a long moment, he lifted his amber eyes to Harry’s. “They’re not blocked,” he said.
“What?” Harry said, eyebrows raising.
“The names. If they were purposefully blocked or the block was a side effect of some sort of concealment magic it would be completely blocked out. Instead, it’s just blurred,” Noel said.
“What does that mean?” Lewis said.
“It’s almost like the magic didn’t fully recognize Harry’s relations. Like it’s missing the data to do so,” Noel said.
“How do we fix it?” Harry said, reluctantly hopeful.
Noel rubbed his chin, thumb tapping his lips as he thought for a second. Then he nodded to himself as he looked back at Harry. “If you are willing to help, I’d like to try something,” Noel said.
“If it will let us see the names, I’ll do what I can,” Harry said.
“We’ll do this in the back room,” Noel said, already reaching out to carefully fold the Peverell tapestry.
“Back room?” Harry said, glancing around the open air library. Since when was there a back room?
“Yes. Come with me,” Noel said, not bothering to explain. Instead, Noel ushered them to follow him, holding the folded tapestry gently in front of him. Lewis sent Harry a look but said nothing as Harry shrugged and went after the Librarian. Noel navigated the rows without a single pause. Even when a book came speeding through the air, he did little more than extend a peach and grey wing to shield Harry as he sent a look into the stacks. Harry barely caught a glimpse of more gold piercings with scale pendants through the spines before Noel tucked the wing away once more. “Watch what you’re doing, Mori,” he said.
“Yeah yeah yeah,” Someone said before Noel continued on without a backward glance. Harry barely caught a glimpse of black hair and robes similar to what Noel wore before they continued on.
Noel finally pushed open a door half shrouded in books and held it for Lewis and Harry to pass through. As soon as they were on the other side, it seemed like they had left the Library entirely. First of all, there was a roof over them. Secondly, the organized chaos of the main area was given over to an entirely clear room that had a single table in the middle and two podiums with trays of different tools nearby. Also, the back wall was lined with shelves containing different things from oil to leather. Noel stopped at the table first; spreading out the tapestry once more over its surface so the section with Harry’s family was easily accessible. Then he walked straight to the fourth bookcase from the left and picked up a gold plated bowl and knife from the middle shelf.
With the objects in hand, Noel moved back to the table and beckoned Harry towards him. Harry took a few steps but stopped well out of reach as his eyes ran over the knife in the other Submissive’s hand that seemed to be covered in various runes Harry couldn’t read.
“What’s that for?” Harry said, nodding to the wicked looking knife.
Noel barely glanced at the blade as he put it down and straightened a few things, sliding one of the podiums forward so it was easier to reach from where he stood next to the table. “Blood Ritual. It’s stronger if you use a ritual blade,” he said.
“Blood Ritual?” Harry said, surprised.
“Like I said, there is some data missing from the magic. I believe blood will help fill in the gaps. You are Harry, yes?” Noel said, tapping one finger against Harry’s picture on the tapestry.
“Yes,” Harry said, straightening his spine.
“Then your blood might be able to clear things up. These would be your parents if I’m reading the layout correctly,” he said.
“Yes,” Harry said again, glancing at the two blurred spots next to James Potter’s image.
“Will this really work?” Lewis said, looking a bit skeptical. “I’ve had others look at it before and they said the spell couldn’t be lifted without knowing the trigger or them being blocked.”
“But it’s not the same as before, Lewis,” Harry said.
“Maybe, but—”
“I’m not sure what it looked like before,” Noel said. “But it is possible that the trigger for the spell was unknowingly tripped and now it just needs a bit of a reset to fill it in.”
“What do I need to do?” Harry said.
Noel smiled gently and lifted the knife again, flipping it in his hand to offer the hilt to Harry. “I need a bit of your blood if you don’t mind. Not much. A few drops will do,” he said.
Harry nodded and took the knife. Without giving himself time to think about it, he cut the palm of his hand at the base of his thumb. Weirdly enough, he didn’t feel any pain. The ritual knife must have been charmed. He hadn’t even thought to ask.
As soon as the blood started dripping down his skin, easier and faster than a normal cut so shallow, Noel held out the bowl towards him. He could see more runes around the rim and assumed it was made specifically for this purpose just like the knife. Harry held his hand over the bowl, letting a few drops of blood dot the bottom of the bowl before he moved his hand away and cast a quick spell to heal the cut. One more had the knife and his skin clean of the blood as well.
Lewis pulled Harry’s hand towards him for a moment to check his work, but Noel never looked up from his own. Along with the blood, he poured several other liquids into the bowl. One smelled strongly of wet wool and another was a bright chartreuse. Neither were concoctions Harry had any clue of their purpose. Once he’d poured a final dark one that seemed to have the consistency of ink in, Noel lifted it and gently swirled the contents while muttering something under his breath too low for Harry to hear. His eyes glowed a slightly brighter gold as he did so and an earthy scent filled the room. After several long moments, he put down the bowl and glanced at Lewis and Harry as his hands moved automatically towards two oddly shaped brushes.
“Please, never try what I am doing yourselves,” Noel said.
“What—”
Noel didn’t wait for the obvious question. Instead, he dipped the first brush into the mixture and then quickly slathered it across the part of the tapestry just above Harry’s picture.
“What are you doing?!” Harry said, lunging forward to try to stop him.
Lewis caught him just before he could grab Noel’s wrist. “Wait Harry,” the Pareya said. “A Librarian would never purposefully ruin one of the tapestries. It’s against their code to damage knowledge.”
“Don’t worry,” Noel said. “Just watch.”
For several moments, Harry just thought he was crazy. There was nothing to see. Just an odd spelling ink smeared across the once beautiful cloth of their family tapestry. But then he saw it. The mixture was drying abnormally fast. And not in smears across the cloth but into what look like grains of sand as the dark ink turned a pale grey.
When all of it was dry, Noel put down the first brush and held the other carefully as he started gently brushing it over the fabric. He did it in gentle circles, hardly even touching the fabric, and was very careful not to touch anything outside of the circle of clouds surrounding Harry and his parents. After several tense minutes, the sand-like pieces started coming away and Harry could see what was under it. With each swipe of Noel’s brush, the grey stain was washing away. And the grey blur that had covered his Sire and Third was coming with it.
Notes:
O_O I didn't stop it at the worst moment...
Chapter 5: Calling All Healers
Summary:
What are the results?
Oh no....distraction
Chapter Text
Calling All Healers
Neither Lewis nor Harry spoke as they walked down the street away from the library. The Pareya tapped his fingers against his side, trying to figure out what to say, but nothing was coming to mind. Meanwhile, Harry was lost in his own thoughts, eyes wide.
When Noel had finally wiped away the debris from the family tapestry, the fuzzy film was no longer covering the places where his Sire and Third were meant to be.
His heart caught in his throat and then sank seeing they were still not clearly visible like James. Over his Third’s image was a crest of some sort that Harry had never seen before while his Sire was blacked out. The only thing clear was the name “Roland X” below where his Sire’s image should be.
“Did something go wrong?” Harry said.
“Hmm…that’s tricky. I didn’t expect that,” Noel said, staring at the tapestry with interest.
“What?” Harry said.
“This,” he said, tapping the crest over his Third’s information. “Is a family crest. There must be some geas over the family keeping the information hidden. We’d have to have a member of the Clan unlock it before it would be visible.”
“Do you know the Clan?” Lewis said.
“No. I maintain the family archives but Clan history is not really my specialty. And if it is a Clan who is under a geas, their crest may not be public record,” Noel said.
“Then it’s another dead end…” Harry said, frowning.
“Maybe not,” Noel said, making the two dark haired men look back at him. “I might know someone who I can ask. If you don’t mind?”
“Really? You’d do that?” Harry said.
“Of course. I’m a Librarian, after all. I hate having incomplete information,” Noel said, smiling.
“What about his Sire? Is there a family named ‘X’?” Lewis said.
Instead of responding right away, Noel looked closer at the tapestry, eyes narrowing. For a long moment, Harry thought he wouldn’t answer but then the other Submissive started shaking his head. “That's not an ‘X’,” Noel said.
“What?”
“It’s a pair of crossed swords,” Noel said.
Confused, Harry looked closer. With how small it was, he could just make out the slight points at the bottom and the wings of the pommel on each side. They really were swords, but…
“Why?”
“There’s an old…tradition in some of the more conservative Clans. If one of their own inherits Joker they see it as the individual dying. Some stupid idea that Jokers are just a step from going irreversibly feral. When it happens, they have their Clan name stripped from them. They become nothing more than a mindless fighter in the eyes of their family,” Noel said, frowning.
“So the swords…” Harry said.
“A sign that the Pit claimed them as its own,” Noel said. “Their Clan rejected them so their family becomes the Fight. I’ve only seen one other like this in the records. It doesn’t usually happen anymore.”
Harry looked at the name of his Sire, feeling a deep sadness for the man he didn’t know. “So they’re a Joker?” Harry said.
Noel nodded. “Almost definitely. Though without more information it won’t be easy to find them. And records like that would be classified in the Pits. You’d have to have a high ranking Gheyo with you to even try getting the information,” he said.
Damn it , Harry thought, sighing. Of course, that was the case. Nothing in his life could be easy, after all. But…this was more information about his parents than he’d had in twenty-six years. And one of them was possibly alive . If he could just find out where they were…
“Thank you,” Harry said. “For doing this.”
“Of course,” Noel said, smiling. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t help more.”
“You’ve already done so much,” Harry said.
“It’s nothing,” Noel said. “And I will talk to my contact right away about this crest. I’m sure if they don’t know it they’ll be able to find it for you.”
“Than—”
“Ah, ah ah. No more ‘Thank yous,’” Noel said. “It’s my job and I’m happy to help. I’ll message you as soon as we have the details.”
“Do you need my—”
“I’ve got it Harry. Don’t worry about it,” Noel said. Harry opened his mouth to say thank you again, but snapped it shut when Noel sent him a look. “Tell you what. It’s going to take me a little bit to get the information together and there’s nothing you can really do in the meantime. So why don’t you head down the street. At the corner there will be this little stand at the end of the street called Dark Chocolates . Tell the delicious man behind the counter that I sent you and he’ll hook you up with something sweet. I’m sure you could use it.” Noel winked at him teasingly and Harry blushed as he nodded slowly.
“I think we’ll do that,” Lewis said. “Thank you again.”
Noel walked them out of the back room and to the street after that and Harry waved goodbye to the other Submissive. It was lucky they had gotten his attention. Now they had some information at least.
They were just a few feet down the street when Harry’s hand slid over the pocket that had the copy Noel had made of the crest and the name of his Sire, checking that they were still there. They weren’t exactly answers. But it was the most Harry had had in twenty-six years. And if Noel was able to find that last clue for them, he might be able to meet his Third’s family. More importantly…his Sire was alive.
He had mixed feelings about that. If he truly was alive, why hadn’t he tried to find Harry in all this time? Did they know about him? Did they know his other parents were dead? Did they care?
The possible answers to all of those questions was something he needed to know. Even if it turned out to be one he didn’t want to hear, Harry needed to know. That empty feeling he’d always had inside him wouldn’t go away until he finally had those answers.
“Are you okay?” Lewis said at last.
Harry startled and turned to meet Lewis’ gaze. “Oh, uh. I think so? Honestly, I expected the names to be sealed still,” Harry said. “Knowing there is a possibility to actually figure it out…It’s…”
“Overwhelming?” Lewis said.
“Yeah,” Harry said.
“At least now you—”
A sudden, deafening bang echoed through the streets as a giant wave of magic rippled through the area while the ground shook beneath their feet. It was as if the whole realm was vibrating. Harry and Lewis looked around in shock along with the others on the street. What had that been? They only had a moment to register the earthquake and steady themselves before the alarms were blaring.
“What the hell?” Lewis said, right before the announcements started.
“All available Healers and Medics report to section three near the North Gate. There is a breach. Repeat: there is a breach. Fabrine present and Civilians injured. All active Healers and Medics report for emergency protocols.”
“Shit,” Lewis said. “This hasn’t happened in a while.”
“We better go,” Harry said.
“Maybe you shouldn’t—” Harry narrowed a sharp look on the Pareya and Lewis put his hands up. Not willing to argue with his Nephew, he put an arm around Harry and prepared to port to the location of the breach. “Hold on,” he said.
As the two of them appeared near the North Gate, Harry flinched back from the wave of panic that barrelled into him. It was…chaos. Harry practically stumbled back at the crushing weight of so many negative emotions all at once. He closed his eyes, trying to steady himself. This was why he worked with Gheyo. He could handle the anger and annoyance that spilled over from the fighters. Even the bloodlust wasn’t too bad. But the panic and fear of non-Gheyo when they were hurt was…indescribable.
And with his empathy so out of wack—
Lewis reached out quickly to put his hand on Harry’s head. A second later, a ripple of magic fell over his body. As the dampening magic took hold, Harry was finally able to breathe. The emotions that had been so close to swallowing him whole were muffled now and his head was clear. Clear enough to see the worried look on his Uncle’s face. Not wanting to give Lewis a chance to question his presence here again, Harry waved him off and then snapped his fingers to exchange his robes for his Medic’s uniform.
“Be careful,” Lewis said.
“You be careful,” Harry said, before moving forward to find where he could best assist the Healers.
After that point, there was really no time to think. And no time to worry about his muted empathy. Everything was a blur as he rushed between the impromptu medical tent that had been set up away from where the breach had occurred and the thick of the chaos.
He'd been tasked with retrieving the injured who couldn't move by themselves and bringing them to the tent. It was a dangerous situation considering the presence of the Fabrine and the still unstable wall near the breach. However, Harry hadn't given them a chance to question him going without a Gheyo or Pareya to guard him. Lewis was busy in another area and the civilians needed help. They were scared. Even if his empathy had been dampened, he could still feel them and he couldn't ignore it.
So far, everything was going okay. The Gheyo were keeping the Fabrine away from the injured and already the wall was being repaired. Harry had already brought several of the more severely injured back to the medical tent and had directed several others to help themselves there. The situation was still tense, but it seemed to be mostly under control.
Harry should have known it wouldn't last.
The people furthest from the breach had mostly been evacuated to a safe distance by now. Which meant the others were much closer to the danger zone and probably had suffered more from the blast.
Harry was on his fifth, sixth?, rum when he found her. A Pareya half buried under rubble from where parts of the wall had broken off. Rushing forward, he knelt at their side and found them unconscious with a small wound on their forehead. Knocked out by the blast most likely. He started running diagnostics to check the Pareya’s vitals: steady but weak. They needed a Healer to check if there was any underlying damage. But if he tried to move them too quickly, he could do more harm than good. First, Harry needed to get these rocks cleared so he could see if there were any open wounds or broken bones that needed bound.
Quick and safe.
That’s what he needed to focus on right now. Handle it quickly, but be safe. He didn’t take note of how much time passed as he prepared the Pareya for transport to the medical tent. Harry also tried to ignore the sounds around him so he didn’t get distracted from his job. Neither were important right now. However, just as he was about to lift them there was a cracking sound from above. A scream had him looking up and Harry's eyes went wide.
There was a large slab of stone that had broken from the wall and it was falling. Right towards them.
Cursing, Harry felt his wings snap out as he threw himself over the still body of his patient. He covered them entirely with his wings, casting them into darkness, and braced himself. He was going to end up with a nasty broken wing, or two. But, hopefully, they would be alive.
A thunderous crash echoed around them, making Harry's ears ring, and he waited for the pain. But…It didn't come. Everything around them had gone silent, but Harry was sure nothing had touched him. Had he misjudged the direction of the stone slab? Carefully, Harry moved his wings and looked up, wondering why he hadn't felt the crush of stone on his wings. When he saw the sky was empty, he let his wings fold back, clearing his view only to be met with the back of the biggest person he'd ever seen.
Harry was pretty sure the male was over seven feet tall at least. Though he seemed taller due to the large ebony horns that curled back slightly out of his short silver hair. Blinking, Harry looked from him to the sword in his hands with a bright blue blade and then to the broken stone at his feet. The slab had been broken right down the middle and had landed several feet in front of Harry and his patient.
Looks like the Gheyo had arrived just in time.
After a moment, the Gheyo moved again and Harry noticed the tattered state of his leathery wings. There were rips in the webbing and old scars from who knew what. What had he been doing to have damaged his wings so badly? Before Harry could get more than a quick look, the man’s wings folded back, tucking tightly against his spine, and he slipped his sword into a sheath strapped to his back as he turned towards Harry.
It took him a moment to realize that other than a spiked pauldron on his left shoulder and a wicked looking bracer on his left forearm, he was bare from the waist up. Not because he had scales that mimicked the look of armor like some Gheyo he’d met. Harry was so used to seeing that that he could usually pick out the difference. This wasn’t the same, though. He didn’t notice he wasn’t wearing armor because his bare skin was a smooth, shimmering onyx.
Purple eyes flicked between Harry and the Pareya he was crouched over as the Gheyo stood in front of them. “Better move,” he said in a gravelly voice with some sort of accent that Harry had never heard before.
The sound of it startled Harry back to urgency as he checked over his patient. He breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw their status hadn’t changed. Quickly, he stood up and cast a spell to have the Pareya lifted onto an invisible stretcher. His full attention went to his patient in that moment as he darted back to the medical tent.
One of the Healers saw them approaching and rushed over. “Status?” they said.
“Head wound,” Harry said. “Unconscious. Vitals weak but steady. I’d check for a concussion.”
“Got it,” they said, as the Pareya was transferred to one of the cots. They went to work at once. Harry waited a moment to see if they needed anything before starting to turn around.
It wasn’t until then that he realized the Gheyo had followed him. And that he was so close Harry almost ran into his bare chest. “Sorry,” Harry said, stepping around him and heading for the entrance of the medical tent once more.
“You shouldn’t go out there,” he said, putting a hand out in front of Harry.
“What?” Harry said, looking up—way up—confused.
“It’s dangerous,” he said.
Harry’s eyes narrowed at the implication and he squared his shoulders. “I’m fully aware,” Harry said. “But if you hadn’t noticed, there are injured people and they need help.”
The Gheyo didn’t argue and Harry quickly brushed past him to make his way back onto the field where there was still fighting going on in the distance. He made a beeline for the marker he’d left to show the last area he had searched. It wasn’t until he was already walking back with another wounded Pareya that he noticed that he wasn’t alone. The giant Gheyo was standing just a few feet away, watching him. Why was he still there when there was fighting going on closer to the breach?
“You don't need to follow me,” Harry said, a little sarcastically.
“I know,” he said, not looking a bit embarrassed.
“Then what are you doing?” Harry said, brows furrowing.
“Watching you work,” he said.
Harry felt his cheeks grow warm, though he wasn't completely sure why. “Do you have to?” Harry said.
“Hmm…No,” he said.
“Then…” Harry waited a moment but he showed no signs of leaving. Shaking his head, he decided to focus on his job. If he glanced at the large Gheyo a few times as he did so that was his own business.
The Gheyo stayed close by, but he didn't get in the way and he didn't try to assist Harry. Rather, he kept watch over him, eyes scanning the area every once in a while. Looking for threats maybe? Mostly, he kept his intense purple eyes on Harry like he was waiting for something. Once, he raised his eyes and pointed about thirty feet from where Harry was searching, pointing out an injured Gheyo that was growling as they curled around a bloody arm, one of their legs obviously broken.
Hurrying over to them, Harry prepared to immediately go to work. The young Gheyo was probably a Knight or Page judging by his apparent age. Where was their training Ace? When Harry got close, the Gheyo snapped at him when he tried reaching out for the arm to see what was wrong. There was some sort of movement out of the corner of his eyes, but Harry ignored it in favor of watching the young Gheyo in front of him. Their pain was obvious, but he seemed to have slipped into a half feral state because of it. Harry sighed. This was going to be one of those patients, huh?
Harry had dealt with more than his fair share of touchy Gheyo during his time as a Medic in the Pits. Gheyo had a bad habit of being stubborn; especially when it came to their health. He’d gotten more than used to having to deal with them trying to take a bite out of him. After the first few times it had happened, he’d gotten fairly good at avoiding it. His reflexes were even good enough that only the more experienced Gheyo would have a chance of catching him off guard at this point. And this little Gheyo was definitely not experienced.
Ignoring the growling, Harry started casting diagnostics, talking through what he was going to do. He made it very clear this time that he was going to touch their arm in order to see the damage. Still, he wasn’t entirely surprised when they snapped at him again, sharp fangs coming within inches of his vulnerable bare wrists. A string of snarls followed and Harry frowned as he reached out and swatted their nose with two fingers. The growls cut off abruptly as the young Gheyo blinked, looking confused.
“Cut it out,” Harry said. “If you don’t let me see what’s wrong, then it’s just going to get worse. Do you want to lose the whole arm?”
The Gheyo grumbled, but didn’t fight it when Harry reached out to see what was wrong with his arm. Broken. And badly considering the bone sticking out from near his elbow. He was pretty sure it was splintered which was probably why there was so much blood. Thankfully, it seemed like his broken leg hadn’t broken skin so he only had one limb to worry about in terms of blood loss. Still, they were in for an unpleasant couple days while it healed.
“Hold still, I’m going to wrap it loosely so we can keep it from shifting too much while I get you back to the tent,” Harry said. The Gheyo clenched their teeth and Harry cast a spell that had a bandage appearing and wrapping itself over their arm. They yowled as the bandage constricted, but at least it was over quickly. “There. That wasn’t so bad. I swear, all you Gheyo are such big babies.”
The young Gheyo grumbled, but didn’t try arguing. At the same time, Harry heard a snort and turned to the black skinned giant still hovering nearby. He was crouched down beside him, much closer than Harry had expected.
“You are a brave one,” the large Gheyo said.
His expression was blank but Harry could feel the amusement and something like interest from him as well. No. That couldn’t be it.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Harry said, focusing on setting the young Gheyo up on a stretcher like he had with the others he’d found. As a precaution, he conjured a rope to bind the Gheyo in place, just in case they tried to kick up a fuss again.
Just as Harry stood to walk him back, he tripped over a loose rock and almost ended up with some wounds of his own. At the last moment, though, a hand caught his and somehow managed to steady him with a gentle, but firm grip. Harry looked up with wide eyes at the Gheyo who stared back. Still expressionless. Still leaking that bit of amusement and interest.
“T-thank you,” Harry said.
He said nothing. Just checked that Harry had his feet and slowly let go of the Submissive’s hand. Harry's fingertips tingled after his touch; like there had been excess static on the Gheyo's skin. He clenched his hand to try to brush away the feeling, but it lingered. Ducking his head to hide the blush on his cheeks, Harry continued walking with the bound Gheyo hovering beside him.
And in his wake trailed the large Gheyo.
It wasn’t too long before the breach was fixed and the last of the Fabrine was quickly dispatched. The wall was patched soon after and it was just the scattered debris that gave away any hint that there had been some sort of accident.
With the ground clearing, Harry was almost certain that he had found the last of the injured civilians in their section. Instead of searching through the rubble, he’d transitioned to helping the Healers where needed. Mostly, he was tasked with dealing with the Gheyo with the more impossible attitudes.
All the while, his silent shadow watched over him.
Harry wasn’t entirely sure why, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask. Especially since none of the people around him seemed to acknowledge it either.
They were almost through getting those who needed extra care sent to nearby clinics when Harry spotted his uncle again. Lewis was speeding through the medical tent, looking worried as he scanned the area. Harry had a pretty good idea of what he was looking for. When he stepped forward and waved him down, the immediate relief that washed over him was enough of a confirmation that he was right.
The Pareya made a beeline straight for him, practically running over a small Healer who was trying to bring more supplies over to one of the cots. Lewis got a dirty look for his trouble, but he didn’t even notice the other Dragel’s irritation.
“Harry,” he said with a deep sigh when he was standing in front of the Submissive. “Everything went okay, then?”
Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the man’s obvious worry. “Of course it did. This isn’t my first day. And hardly the first time I’ve been present at the scene of a breach.”
“Maybe. But I’m allowed to worry anyway,” Lewis said.
Harry just smirked, knowing it would be useless to argue.
“It seems they’ve gotten it mostly under control now. We should probably think of heading back to the house. Henry will be worried if we don’t show up soon. The only reason we haven’t gotten a message to return is because of the emergency summon,” Lewis said.
“Yeah,” Harry said. “That would probably be a good idea. Just let me—”
Just as Harry was about to walk away to hand off the last case he was dealing with—a young Beta that had a severe wing fracture from trying to block his family sitting beside him—a shadow fell over the pair of them followed by a voice that was quickly becoming familiar.
“Are you the little one’s Guardian?”
Harry shouldn’t have been surprised to hear the gravelly voice behind him once more. He honestly couldn’t figure out why but the Gheyo had been following him since the wall had broken. At this point, he should be more surprised if the Gheyo hadn’t been there. Lewis looked up, confused, before his eyes went wide as he had to crane his neck to meet the gaze of the abnormally tall individual.
Lewis’s eyes flicked to Harry, but all he could do was shrug. “Um,” he said, turning back to the onyx skinned mountain. “Yes. Harry is mine. Did you need something from us?”
“My name is Diaval Amarth,” he said, putting a fist to his chest and bowing his head to Lewis.
“Oh. Ah, Lewis Peverell. It’s nice to meet you,” he said.
Diaval nodded. “And for me,” he said. “I would like your permission. For me to Court this Submissive.”
“So,” Ilsa said as Ithycar settled across the counter from where she was making pudding with Theo. “How did your meeting with Peverell go?”
The Alpha took a moment to think. Ithycar had gone directly to Ilsa after settling the rest of their Circle. Thankfully, Ilsa had not been gone long after the breach. There had been more injured in the blast than the following swarm of Fabrine, the Gheyo having made swift work of the creatures. However, as a Blood Title, it wouldn’t have been surprising if they’d made Ilsa remain for the incident report after. Thankfully, since her and Greta had dealt with a situation at the stadium the other day, it was someone else’s turn this time. Ithycar pitied the poor sap who’d been stuck with the task but he was glad to have her there now.
“It was…interesting,” Ithycar said, leaning over and dipping a claw into the bowl to steal a bite. Ilsa huffed and Ithycar just managed to dodge the swipe of her hand.
Ilsa rolled her eyes at the Alpha while Theo hid a smile beside her. “What was interesting about it?”
“He was looking for some information for his nephew. Apparently they’ve been raising the boy since he was young,” Ithycar said.
“Huh. Seems they’ve kept that out of the gossip circles,” Ilsa said.
“It helps they don’t spend much time in Nevarah or at court,” Ithycar said.
“A good thing, I guess. Bhindi would explode if Cora suddenly became more interested in her little games,” Greta said, walking into the room and jumping up on the counter. Ilsa sent her King a look, but Greta just smiled from her spot.
Ithycar frowned slightly at the reminder of his Submissive’s less than cordial relationship with Henry’s. He doubted they’d ever get along.
“What information was he looking for?” Ilsa said.
“Wanted to find a couple of Alphas from the Heart Cries,” Ithycar said, gazing off as he thought about the situation. He could tell that there was more than what Henry had said, but the other Alpha seemed troubled enough without more prying.
“How can you help with that?” Ilsa said.
“Actually, he was wondering if you could help with it?” Ithycar said.
“Why would I have a record of that?” Ilsa said.
“Henry doesn’t have any connections with the Earth Clans. He remembered we had a connection to the Earth Courts. He wanted to see if we could find anything out from that connection. Apparently, both of the rejected Alphas were Earth,” Ithycar said.
“Rejected? Why the hell would they be trying to find rejected Alphas? The magic wouldn’t turn them away without cause,” Ilsa said.
“Not to mention that seems a little callous. They’ve already been rejected,” Theo said.
“Yes…well, there are some extenuating circumstances it seems,” Ithycar said.
“Like?” Ilsa said. Ithycars eyes flicked over to where Theo was watching as he hesitated. Ilsa guessed what he was thinking and waved a hand. “Theo will keep his mouth shut. He’s not a complete idiot.”
Theo rolled his eyes but didn’t argue.
“Hmm…There may have been an error with the runic array,” Ithycar said.
That had Ilsa stopping and putting her full attention on her Alpha. “With the runes? For one of the Heart Cries?”
“Yes,” Ithycar said.
“Has there been an inquiry? That is serious; interfering with a Submissive’s Hunting is a serious offense. And this happened right under the Air Royals’ noses?” Greta said, getting off the counter as the air crackled a little around her.
“Henry implied that it wasn’t the fault of the organizers. He didn’t say but I got the impression he knew who caused the mix up. I assume they are handling that part of it,” Ithycar said.
“I’d like to get my hands on whoever it was,” Ilsa said. “To mess with a child like that…it’s unforgivable.”
“To participate in the Cries, he has to be at least my age, Oretta,” Theo said.
“Exactly,” Ilsa said. “A child.”
Theo sighed, shaking his head at his mentor.
“Would you know how to find their information?” Ithycar said.
“Possibly…” Ilsa said. “However, it’s not technically something that should be done. Even if there was a mistake, the magic of their Circle rejected them. Does he really want to approach these Alphas?”
Ithycar’s frown deepened. “Henry said there might be a Soul Bond in play,” he said.
Ilsa’s growl was fierce and loud and Theo had to quickly pull the pot away from her to save their pudding. “I expect Alpha Peverell to divulge who exactly caused this,” she said.
“Do you know which of the Heart Cries we’re talking about?” Greta said.
Sighing, Ithycar nodded. “The failed one with no responders. Henry’s son said one of them had blue hair, but he was distressed so he didn’t get a good look at either of them.”
“You talking about the two who went feral when they were dragged off?” Greta said, sounding a little surprised.
“Feral?” Ithycar said. “There was no mention of that.”
“Didn’t happen until they were in the holding areas below. We had a fun time getting them restrained. Almost made up for missing out on time in the Pits,” Greta said.
“Then there’s a possibility they were similarly affected,” Ithycar said, thoughtfully.
The three adults were quiet for a moment, all thinking about the situation. Ithycar didn’t have to ask if Ilsa would help at this point. He knew from her reaction she would be doing so.
“What did you say the boy’s name was?” Ilsa said.
“Harry Potter-Peverell,” Ithycar said.
“Harry Potter?” Draco said, coming into the room.
“Drake,” Theo said, his eyes automatically softening as he held out his arm for the blond. Draco immediately tucked himself into the Alpha’s side and purred low in his throat. “Hello, Treasure.”
“Hi,” Draco said. “Why are we talking about Harry Potter?”
“Do you know him?” Ilsa said.
“Know him? Everyone knows Harry Potter. He’s the one who killed the Dark Lord. There are tons of stories about him. I heard he was put into a special training school instead of going to Hogwarts with us,” Draco said, pouting at the end.
“Yes. He’s probably the most famous person that no one has ever seen in our world. Maybe you got the name wrong?” Theo said, looking at Ithycar.
“No. That’s what Henry said his son’s name was. I asked so I could be sure to get the right information to Ilsa,” Ithycar said.
“Are you saying…Is Harry Potter here?” Draco said, eyes wide. “Really? Can I meet him?”
Diaval
Chapter 6: Courting with Devils
Summary:
Diaval gets to spend some time with Harry
Notes:
Yoooooooo. This has been half written since March, but I finally got those last few parts to make sense in my brain. Hope this makes up for the wait.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Courting With Devils
Lewis’ mouth fell open as he looked between the giant Gheyo and his nephew. That…hadn’t been what he expected. He was almost certain he’d never seen this Gheyo before in his life. And for him to ask so bluntly…
“I…uh…don’t know what to say,” Lewis said, brows furrowing as he looked at Harry.
It seemed Harry wasn’t experiencing the same shock he was. “Isn’t that my choice?” Harry said, a stubborn look in his eyes as he frowned at the Gheyo.
Diaval turned and met his eyes easily, not the least bit taken aback by Harry’s attitude. “Yes,” he said, nodding.
Harry’s mouth opened and shut, the fight going out of him at Diaval’s easy acceptance of his words. “Then…why…”
“Apologies, Little One. But I am not Dragel,” Diaval said.
“I’d noticed,” Harry said, his cheeks coloring as he made a point to keep his eyes on the Gheyo’s face.
Harry felt that flicker of amusement on the edge of his dampened empathy, though Diaval’s eyes stayed serious. “In my land, we do things differently. It is against our laws to pursue a Submissive without a Guardian’s permission,” he said.
Oh.
All at once, the wind went out of any argument he had. Maybe it was silly of him, but he’d never given much thought to the traditions of those from other realms. It made sense they would have different norms. Still this was an odd situation. This had never happened before. How was he supposed to…
Harry turned his eyes on his Uncle. Lewis didn’t need to be an empath to recognize the slightly panicked look on his nephew’s face. The Pareya forced himself to keep his own expression clear of his amusement. Harry was so confident and mature while he was working, but the second he has to face something like this he turns into a little kid.
“How about this,” Lewis said, grabbing the attention of the Gheyo along with Harry. “We won’t be able to stay long, but let’s go get a snack together. I’m sure we all could use something after all of that. And this way you two can…talk.”
“I am not needed elsewhere,” Diaval said, keeping his eyes on Harry.
“That–I–yeah. Let me just—” Harry held up the Beta's files in his hands and ducked hurriedly away from the other two. His eyes were still wide as he gave the senior Healer the notes and did his best to clearly relay any relevant detail. Judging by the heat coming off his face, he was sure his cheeks were bright red as he did so. One of the other Healers even asked if he needed to sit down with a concerned expression.
Harry waved them off and turned back towards Lewis and Diaval. It was…odd to see them next to each other. Lewis might not have been that much taller than him, but it still seemed weird how Diaval absolutely towered over him. He could only imagine how tiny he looked next to the Gheyo.
Taking a quick, deep breath, Harry started moving back towards them. This was fine. He was an adult and this is what the Hunt was about, after all. It had just been a little surprising. And he hadn’t expected that anyone would—
Harry shook his head. He wouldn’t think of that now. He would just…focus on what they were about to do.
When Harry made it to them, he glanced up at the Gheyo and away just as quickly. Thankfully, Lewis took charge, noticing Harry’s nervousness.
“Alright you two,” Lewis said. “Let’s go.”
The Pareya started walking in the opposite direction of the breach towards the main road. It might have been quicker to just take a portal, but quicker wasn’t exactly what they needed at the moment. A little time to clear their heads and think would be a good idea for the both of them.
Diaval didn’t move right away. He hung back and gestured for Harry to go in front of him. The Submissive went ahead, glad he would have a chance to figure out what he was feeling without the Gheyo staring at his face. He could still feel Diaval’s eyes on him, though. As well as the simple calm that seemed to surround him.
As they crested the hill and got back to the road, however, Harry was a little confused to see that the area wasn’t entirely deserted. Instead, there were several stalls set up in a half circle with different delicious smells coming from them. This was so far from the main area that it definitely wasn’t the best place for business. And with the breach, it seemed a little dangerous for them to have stayed there. But…
“Come on over!” Someone called out from behind one of the stalls. “Thank you for taking care of everyone!”
“Are they…out here for us?” Harry said.
“Looks like it,” Lewis said, smirking. “At least we won’t have to go far for this chat.”
“But they could have put themselves in danger,” Harry said.
“That’s why they are here,” Diaval said.
Lewis nodded along. “Gheyo and Healers do their best to protect and mend our bodies. But it’s a Pareya’s job to help mend the soul. That is the balance of our ranks,” Lewis said. “They’re here to take care of those working on the breach.”
Harry blinked, looking around at the group; not quite sure what to say to that.
“What would you like?” Lewis said, making it clear that it would be Harry’s choice.
“Um…I don't—” Harry's eyes caught on the sign of the stall on the fat left. Dark Chocolates.
Immediately, Harry found his feet leading him in that direction. The chances of it being the same place was slim, but…
“Looking for something sweet, Little One?” A lilting voice spoke up from behind the counter of the stall. Harry looked up at them, surprised to see a tall male with the same shade of onyx skin as Diaval.
When Harry didn’t answer right away, the male tilted his head and Harry’s eyes caught on the scales hanging from small hoop earrings on either side. The most prominent one on the side nearest Harry was a silver and peach scale that seemed to be a familiar shading.
“Are you Noel's?” Harry said.
The male’s eyes lit up. “You know my sweetest love?”
That made it official. They’d somehow found the stall Noel had pointed them towards despite the detour. “We met him today. He told us about your sweets and we were on the way there when…well…” Harry said, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Ah. Well, in that case, I'm glad you found your way here,” he said, clapping his hands together. “If you're one of Noel's new friends, I'll make sure you get one of my specialties on the house. Anything else I can get you? I've got sweet and savory Mezes. All with a selection of chocolate that will go with either. Just let me know what you'd prefer.”
“That's very nice of you,” Lewis said.
“Well, any friend of my sweet—Dia! Is that you?” he said, getting completely sidetracked when Diaval moved up next to Harry.
“Azrael,” Diaval said simply, nodding at the other male.
“What are you doing over here darling?” Azrael said. “Shouldn’t you be off minding your little Qu—”
Diaval cleared his throat, eyes darting Harry and Lewis beside him.
Azrael tilted his head curiously, following Diaval’s gaze. Then his eyebrows raised and his eyes lit up with little purple sparks. “Oh. Oh, ” he said before giggling and turning away from them.
“Mattie! Grab that extra table and some of the empty barrels and set them up behind the stall so these three can sit,” Azrael called out to one of the men currently mixing together something at the back.
“Of course, Az,” he said, putting down the bowl. As he left it, though, the spoon continued turning through the contents.
“Er. What's happening?” Harry said.
“You all look exhausted. Why don't you head to the back. Mattie is setting up a table for the three of you. You all can rest there and we'll bring you out a few different things to try!” Azrael said.
“Oh, you really don't have to—”
“Nonsense. You are Noel's friend and Diaval's…companion. It's the least I can do. Now shoo. Go sit down and relax. We'll be done in a few minutes,” Azrael said, waving his hand as he turned away from them.
“But—”
“I think it’s best we go along with it,” Lewis said. “Besides, I know you're tired.”
Harry grumbled under his breath, but let his Uncle lead him behind the stall where ‘Mattie was already throwing a table cloth over the impromptu table. Looking back to share a look with Diaval, Harry noticed the giant Gheyo hadn't followed them. Instead he was looking down at Azrael as the Pareya leaned on the counter with a sly smile. The Pareya said something in a low gravelly voice that was so surprising Harry almost didn't realize the words were a different language. Whatever he was saying, though, seemed to amuse him greatly.
Diaval gave him a flat look back that gave nothing away and his own answer was short; just one word that sounded like “Osho.” Harry had no idea what it meant. However, Azrael’s answer was quicker and longer and there was a wicked gleam in his eye the whole time. At the same time, Diaval’s onyx skin turned a smokey grey just around his cheeks. It was almost like…was he blushing?
Azrael laughed, the sound high and clear without a shred of guilt in the face of Diaval’s discomfort.
Rolling his eyes, Diaval turned away from his friend, said something in his rumbling voice, and then continued after Harry like nothing had passed between them. He seemed intent on pretending nothing had happened, but Harry never was good at ignoring his own curiosity.
“What did he say?” Harry said, fully expecting the Gheyo to brush him off.
Instead, Diaval shot Lewis a look before leaning down to talk more quietly to Harry. “Without using his words: Azrael wanted to know which of you had my interest,” Diaval said, before a grimace passed over his face. “Then they implied I should Bond both of you so I could have the ‘set.’ And…because two is…more fun.”
Harry’s eyes snapped open wide and his own blush covered his face at what Diaval was implying.
“Azrael is not good at minding their own business. I apologize,” Diaval said.
“Uh…it’s okay?” Harry said.
“It is not, but they’re not one for changing their ways,” Diaval said.
“Ah, right,” Harry said
The three of them sat quietly after that, none of them knowing quite what to say. Harry glanced back at Lewis only to get a ‘get on with it’ motion from the Pareya. Which was absolutely no help. What was he supposed to do? Or say? Or whatever. Finally, Lewis cleared his throat as he looked across the table at the black skinned giant. “So…you want to court our Harry,” Lewis said.
“With the intention of Bonding. Yes,” Diaval said, not quite taking his eyes from Harry’s.
“You…you intend to get to know each other first, I assume,” Lewis said.
“If that is what Harry wishes, I am content to wait,” Diaval said.
Lewis’ eyebrows raised. “Harry has not yet Bonded to a triad. I am guessing you’d want to at least wait until after that,” Lewis said.
Diaval shrugged. “That is no issue,” Diaval said.
“Uh…I’m not sure I understand,” Lewis said.
“Storm Devils are not so…traditional as Dragels. Fate decides when we meet our own. There is no sense in having a strict order when you find those you want,” Diaval said.
“What rank are you, if you don’t mind?” Harry said.
Diaval gave him an odd look. “I am Gheyo,” he said.
Harry blushed. “I know that but…specifically…”
“Ah. You would call me an ACE by Dragel understanding,” Diaval said.
That made sense. The way the Demon held himself was with the kind of self assurance that Harry only saw in the few high ranking Gheyo he met with regularly at work. But the way he said it made him curious. “What would your people call you?” Harry said.
Diaval held himself a little straighter. “Kinkaku. In your tongue it translates to something like Golden General,” he said.
“Sounds important,” Lewis said.
“It is a title given only to those who have gone through the King’s trials and proven their worth to the sovereigns and spirits. A high honor among my people, though not recognized by all Dragel. Especially Gheyo,” Diaval said. “When I came to this realm I retrained to be acknowledged as ACE.”
“That sounds unfair,” Harry said. “Why should you have to prove yourself twice just because you come from a different realm?”
Diaval shrugged. “I did not mind. The fight is life. It was not a hardship to devote myself to it to show my strength.”
Harry’s lips twitched. Of course a Gheyo would say that. “Still…Why did you leave your home?” Harry said.
“The Oracles said I would not find my fate among their stars…They were right,” he said, staring intensely at the Submissive.
Harry’s face burned and he looked towards his Uncle for help. However, Lewis just smiled and looked away, determined to be a silent observer here. Of course. His Uncle loved letting him suffer.
Luckily, Azrael took that moment to come over with several plates floating behind them. Apparently, when Azrael said he’d bring a few things for them to try, they meant a little of everything. Harry had no idea how the three of them were going to finish all of the food in front of them even if it was all small plates. Unconcerned by the shocked look on the Submissive’s face, Azrael grinned as they expertly placed all of the plates on the makeshift table creating an enticing assortment of different dishes. Some were obviously sweets but others look like some of the normal Nevaran lunch fare Harry was used to. Except instead of normal sauces, the samplers were served with darker sauces that Harry assumed were chocolate considering the stall’s name. Despite the oddness, all of them looked delicious and Harry’s mouth watered at the sight of the assortment.
“Here you are sweeties! I hope this gives you some energy after your ordeal. Enjoy!” they said before making themself scarce faster than Harry could thank them for the meal.
Harry waited a moment to see if the others would start, but Diaval just rested his face against his hand as he leaned his elbow on the table. “Go ahead,” he said.
Without waiting for more of an invitation, Harry lifted one of the spoons Azrael had brought and scooped up a small portion of the one that had been set down closest to him. It was some sort of fried dough that had been folded over and filled with a brightly colored creme. One end was dipped in a chocolate so dark it might have looked burnt if not for the glistening sheen of the shell.
Carefully, Harry took a bite and his eyes went wide. “Wow.”
Diaval’s amusement was obvious in his cyclone of emotions despite only a hint of a smile on his face. “You like it?”
“Yeah. I’ve never tasted chocolate like that,” Harry said.
“It is Keevash,” Diaval said.
“It’s what?”
“Keevash. It is made from the Keeva plants from my home. It has a similar taste to chocolate and looks very similar if it is made a certain way. However, it is lighter on the palette and is combined with various flavors with ease in the hands of a good chef,” Diaval said.
Harry hummed and excitedly moved his fork to another of the dishes to try. This one looked like some type of meatball in a dark brown sauce. When the meat touched his tongue, Harry’s eyes went wide as the flavors struck him. Somehow the sweetness only made the perfectly cooked meat more incredible.
“Good?” Diaval said.
“It’s delicious!” Harry said.
“So you like sweet things then?” Diaval said.
“Um…maybe,” Harry said, unsure of which plate to try next with all of the options in front of him.
“Maybe?” Lewis said. “We had to find a new place to hide the desserts every week when you were younger. I’m pretty sure you would have nothing but desserts for every meal if Vincent wasn’t around.”
“I’m not that bad,” Harry said, ignoring Lewis’ eyes on him.
“Mmm-hmm. If you say so,” Lewis said, rolling his eyes.
Harry pouted but the amusement and affection coming from the dark skinned man at his left was more than a little distracting. “Try this one,” Diaval said, pointing to one on the end that looked like a chocolate cake mixed with different fruits.
They spent their time like that for a while. Diaval would point out all the dishes he should try while they spoke. Whatever order he was going in somehow made it so each one tasted better than the one before without overwhelming any of the flavors. While Harry and Lewis ate, Diaval would ask different questions that seemed a little random to Harry and sometimes silly. But Harry answered them anyway with Lewis interrupting with just enough detail to embarrass Harry every once in a while.
It didn’t matter how inconsequential Harry thought the information was, though. Diaval seemed to hang off his every word. His purple eyes stayed locked on Harry the entire time, even when Lewis would speak, without any hint of embarrassment for his staring. Harry might have thought he had just blanked out if it wasn’t for the fact that he was the one driving the conversation and asking Harry followup questions to almost everything he said.
Harry tried diverting the attention back to Diaval several times, but it never worked for long. The Gheyo would answer anything he asked without hesitation, but the directness only made it easier for him to turn the conversation back to Harry.
What he did learn over their short conversation, though, was enough to know that Diaval was different from many of the other individuals who he’d grown up around. For one, he was obviously not a Dragel, though his instincts seemed to be similar. Enough so that there were a number of Storm Devils that had mixed in with the Dragels on Neverah. However, most of them spent a majority of their time in the Shadow Haunts or on the Storm Plains so it wasn’t too odd that Harry hadn’t come across any of them before.
Diaval himself had been in Nevarah for a little over nine years, arriving just after the previous Hunting season. Which meant this was technically Diaval’s first Hunt despite being older than Harry by at least a few years. His family Circle—or Chein as Diaval called it—still lived in the dark realms along with a majority of his five siblings. Diaval promised he would set up a way for them to talk with Harry soon if he wanted. Not if they became serious but when Harry was ready. The idea flustered Harry enough he almost missed the rest of what Diaval said about it.
While the difficulty of interrealm travel to his home made it so he couldn’t visit them, they kept in touch with a special species of bird that his family primarily raised to assist with their work. Work that he had chosen to continue here under the Storm Royals. Though, he didn’t specify what that was.
Harry wasn’t sure how long they were there, but Azrael didn’t disturb them. It seemed odd that they hadn’t. The Pareya seemed like the type that enjoyed a bit of gossip, but they never came over. The glasses at the table filled with different drinks on their own whenever they got close to empty and the plates that had been finished were whisked away without anyone having to come for them.
Neither they or their employees seemed to even be listening. Though, after a while, Harry noticed it wouldn’t have mattered if they had tried. Lewis had subtly cast one of his minor wards that would keep others from hearing anything they said while muffling the sounds from around them. It was a simple piece of spellwork, but the fact Harry hadn’t noticed was odd. Maybe Lewis had cast a different dampener that helped with his magic sensitivity as well.
Or maybe Harry was just distracted.
“How long have you been working as a Medic?” Dival asked as he slid the rest of one of the mezzas that Harry had seemed to enjoy the most closer to the Submissive.
Harry swallowed the bite of glazed salmon in his mouth before answering. “I started training shortly after leaving school. Once I got my written certification, I worked at a few different clinics to get my hours for a full certification. I’ve been working between different parts of the Gheyo section for a few years now,” Harry said.
“Do you like it?” Diaval said.
“Yes. It’s a lot of fun most of the time,” Harry said.
“You don’t get scared? Surrounded by Gheyo?” Diaval said.
“Why would I?” Harry said.
Diaval tilted his head to the side. “You are not like many non-Gheyo Submissives I’ve met,” he said.
“Gheyo are the same as any other Dragel. Or Being. They might be a bit more willing to kill in defense of their Circle, but they don’t just attack for nothing,” Harry said.
“Hmm…I suppose they make better patients than others,” Diaval said.
Lewis snorted and Harry shook his head in amusement. “The worst actually,” Harry said.
“Really?” Diaval said.
Harry looked over at his Uncle and they shared a private joke before he turned back to Diaval. “They like to fight us and claim that they don’t need help even if they have blood pouring out of their heads. I had one Princess that was so convinced they were fine that they tried to get up and walk away. Only their sparring partner had cut straight through the tendons behind their knees. They collapsed the second they tried to stand and managed to damage their kneecaps and hips in the fall because of the damage that had been done to their armor as well.”
“That’s silly,” Diaval said.
“Are you saying you don’t fight your Healers?” Harry said. Diaval was quiet for a moment and Harry grinned. “I’ll take that as a no.”
“I wouldn’t fight if you were my Healer,” he said.
Harry snorted softly. “Too bad I’m just a Medic, then,” Harry said.
“Are you planning on getting your Healer’s license?” Diaval said.
“Nah,” Harry said.
“Why?” Diaval said, sounding merely curious. Not judgemental like some people would.
“I don’t have the patience for the schedule and specific diet Healers have to maintain. Plus, being a medic gives me more freedom to choose where I want to work without being tied down like certain specialties,” Harry said.
Diaval nodded. “The freedom suits you,” he said.
“Yeah, I guess,” Harry said.
“It is very admirable,” Diaval said.
“What is?” Harry said.
“How hard you must have worked,” Diaval said. “There are many your age and even older who are still finding their path or choosing not to look.”
“I just had a good role model,” Harry said.
“Even our teachers don’t wholly make us who we are. We have to put the work in and have the dedication to better ourselves,” Diaval said.
“I guess that’s true. What is it you do, then?” Harry said, trying to get the attention off himself as he rubbed his neck awkwardly.
“I am an Assassin,” Diaval said, calmly.
Harry’s eyes snapped open wide. “Oh…uh, really?”
“Yes.”
“Are…are you allowed to tell me that?” Harry said. “Isn’t that against some sort of Assassin’s Code? Tell no one and all that.”
“I don’t believe it is something that I should keep from my Submissive,” Diaval said.
“But we’re not Bonded,” Harry said.
“Not yet. But if you are willing then we will be. And I will not have any confusion between us,” Diaval said. “If you ask a question, I will answer you honestly.”
Harry stared at the Gheyo, stunned. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Not even his own family had been that straight forward with him before. And yet, there was no wavering in Diaval’s emotions that hinted that he could be lying. Harry couldn’t deny that the openness was appealing. Suddenly, his gaze dropped as he twisted his hands together in his lap, the food remaining on the table completely forgotten.
“Diaval…Why are you so certain that you want me as your Submissive?” Harry said, peeking up at the Demon. “You hardly know me.”
Diaval shook his head. “Magic, Little One. Like calls to like. And yours sings for me.”
“What do you mean?” Harry said.
“May I?” Diaval said, putting his hand out to Harry with no other explanation.
Harry hesitated a moment, not quite sure what the Gheyo intended, but his curiosity got the better of him. Slowly, he reached out and placed his hand in Diaval’s. For a second, there was nothing but the surprisingly cool touch of his skin. Then, Harry caught sight of a brief spark in Diaval’s hand before Harry was filled with a rush of…something unlike anything he’d felt before.
“Oh,” Harry breathed as the feeling hit him. It wasn’t just the emotional feedback he was used to, though now he had a clear idea of every emotion that had passed through Diaval since they’d run into each other. On top of that was the sensation of their magic from Diaval’s perspective. Their magic that even now was twisting and moving together in a dance that Harry somehow knew in a soul deep way, though he’d never felt it before. The sensation was like being struck by lightning and wrapped up in the fluffiest blanket all at the same time.
It was comfort and excitement and fear and acceptance and want and…so many other things. But most of all there was this overwhelming feeling of right .
His breath caught in his throat as the sensation of their dancing magic filled him. With the magic also came a rush of emotions that weren’t his. Emotions he had started to believe he would never be on the receiving end of. The feel of them now made his own emotions swell up inside him and block up his throat.
What was this?
He’d never felt anything like this before. Was this really what Diaval felt from him? For him? It was…insane. And yet exactly what Harry had craved for so long while he tried to Hunt in vain for a Bonded that would accept him as he was and is. One that saw him as Harry rather than as an extension of the Peverells.
“Do you understand?” Diaval said.
Harry opened his mouth to respond. He knew he wouldn’t be able to form words with his whole body overwhelmed by the thoughts and emotions being fed back to him. But it wasn’t exactly words he wanted to use anyway.
Looking into the ACE’s eyes, Harry let out a sharp, pleading cry for the fourth time in his life.
The emotions of those near him felt like they were surrounding him with acute clarity despite the dampener he knew was still active. He could feel Lewis’ shock at once and the curiosity from those at surrounding stalls. A deep amusement from Azrael also came through above others. But that’s not what he kept his focus on.
If he hadn’t been able to feel it, Harry might have gotten scared at the widening of Diaval’s eyes and the way they immediately sought out Lewis. But he could feel it. The way the minor surprise almost immediately became determination as well as how his hand turned to wrap gently around Harry’s own.
“Tell me I have your permission,” Diaval said, his purple eyes glowing.
Lewis snapped out of his astonishment and looked between the two men in front of him. From the large ACE who seemed so sure of himself and his feelings to his little nephew. The boy he’d watched grow up into the amazing young man he was. His Circle’s son in their hearts even if he wasn’t biologically theirs. His son.
He smiled gently as Harry turned to him with wide, pleading eyes. Aldor would have loved this boy if he’d ever gotten the chance to meet him. It was going to be hard having to share him with others from now on. But…a fledgling has to leave the nest eventually.
Turning back to the Gheyo, Lewis crossed his arms. “Will you promise to take care of him?” Lewis said.
“Yes,” Diaval said, not a hint of hesitation.
Sighing, Lewis finally nodded. “Fine, then. You have my permission,” he said.
Diaval lowered his head in acknowledgement. “Thank you for your trust,” he said before turning his attention onto the Submissive.
Using his grip on Harry’s hand, Diaval stood and pulled Harry up and against him. Wrapping his arms around the Submissive, he pressed his forehead to Harry’s and let out a sound low in his chest. It was nothing like a Dragel’s cry. This was deeper and more guttural. The unfamiliar sound sent shivers racing up his spine, but Harry understood what it was. He felt it in his bones and his heart.
This time, his Heart Cry had been answered.
Notes:
I'm sorry....The last line kills me. I'm going to go cry over nothing now. See you whenever I can get the muses to all me back here.
Chapter 7: Near Meetings
Summary:
A side quest with a couple of Alphas
Notes:
I really suck at editing these chapters LOL Hope there's not too many mistakes XD
Chapter Text
Near Meetings
Silas was leading Maelle into the Registar when he felt something on the edge of his perception. It was just the barest hint of a familiar magic. Magic that soothed an empty feeling in his soul. His head whipped around in the direction of it and his eyes darted over the crowd.
It was right there. He knew it. Could feel it just there but…
Nothing. The magic was gone.
Silas clenched his fists at his side, swallowing back the growl of frustration.
“What’s wrong?” Maelle said, a little impatiently.
Silas frowned. “Nothing. Let’s go,” he said, brushing past the other Alpha who’d stopped a few feet in front of Silas.
Maelle grumbled but didn’t say anything as they quickly joined the queue for the Registration Office.
Silas had spent practically every moment of the last two days tracking down every contact he had available to him. They’d been busy enough with the task that they’d only now had the opportunity to visit the Registar and attempt contact that way. Silas wanted to get the most accurate information he could in order to move forward. It hadn’t been easy, but he’d managed to track down some information on the little Submissive’s family.
Peverell wasn’t exactly an unfamiliar name, but most hadn’t been familiar with a young Submissive in the family. It had been one of his more questionable contacts that had pointed him in the right direction. It seemed his family rarely spent time in Nevarah outside of the Hunt and similar events. Even when they were on realm they spent the majority of their time in the Air City above. Which was probably why he’d never run into the Submissive before.
And that meant his chances of finding him outside the Hunt were limited. This would be his only chance.
“Next,” a blond Gheyo called, breaking Silas out of his thoughts in time to realize they had reached the front of the line. They moved forward and Silas could see the small name tag that dubbed her Amari. She looked down at him with a customer service smile, though he could tell she was bored. “What can I do for you?”
Silas drew himself up, ignoring the way the Gheyo still stood over a foot taller than him. He was used to it considering his Da was over two meters. Unfortunately, despite being an Alpha, his Mera’s genes had been more dominant when it came to both his height and nearly every other feature.
“We’re here for some contact information,” Silas said.
Amari raised one pale eyebrow. “What kind of contact information are you looking for?”
“I’d like to send a favor,” Silas said.
“Me as well,” Maelle said.
Amari looked between the two of them, unable to stop the small smirk on her lips. “And do you have the name of who you’d like to send it to?” Amari said.
“Yes,” Silas said, pulling a small gold envelope from his breast pocket and laying it flat on the counter. In a clear, elegant hand there was a name written precisely in the middle.
Picking up the offered envelope, Amari only glanced at it briefly before both brows rose in surprise. Instead of voicing any of her own surprise, though, she just set down the envelope once more after checking the name and slid it back to Silas. “You should be able to put it in the box next to the door then, sir. It will automatically sort it with the rest of the individual's mail for collection or delivery,” Amari said.
“Ah, well…I’m afraid it wouldn’t go through like that,” Silas said.
“I can assure you, the charms are top notch. And everything is checked over after the sorting to make sure nothing is left out,” Amari said.
“I do not doubt it. But there are possible blocks that might prevent the Submissive from receiving mail…from us specifically,” Silas said.
Amari’s eyes sharpened slightly and she frowned at the Alpha. “If you’ve been blocked by a Submissive, then there’s nothing I can do. And I certainly hope you’re not implying that I do so, or I might need to report you,” she said. “If that’s it, you might as well leave.”
“It’s not,” Silas said. “And we weren’t blocked by the Submissive.”
“Then what are you saying?” Amari said, raising an eyebrow. “Spit it out.”
“There were complications at the Heart Cry Ceremonies. I don’t know why. But I do know that Harry couldn’t have wanted this…Not like that,” Silas said.
“We just want to talk to him for a moment,” Maelle said.
“You said Harry?” Amari said.
“Yes,” Silas said. “Harry Peverell.”
Amari looked over them curiously. Surely not. It couldn’t be that easy. “You two wouldn’t happen to be Silas Tempest and Maelle Vasili, would you?”
Silas’ brows furrowed. “You know us?”
She smirked. “Well that was quick,” she said.
“What?” Maelle said, frowning.
“I just had a cute little visitor not ten minutes ago,” Amari said.
“You mean—”
“I didn’t expect you two to come together. But you have a message,” she said.
Without further explanation, Amari handed over a small, folded note to each of them. Silas didn’t hesitate to open it. Meanwhile, Maelle held his so tightly the paper creased in his fingers and he watched Silas’ expression carefully for some hint of what it might be.
Silas took in the message quickly and he took a deep breath.
“Did Harry give this to you?” Silas said.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” Amari said, shuffling some papers in front of herself. “I definitely would not give any information to someone that’s been blocked from messages due to a Heart Cry ceremony rejection. That would be unconscionable.”
Silas watched the Gheyo for a moment. Her expression had gone entirely professional, but there a spark in her eye that was clearly amusement.
“Right. Thank you for your time, then,” Silas said.
“Yes, yes. Now move along boys. I’ve got people to serve,” Amari said.
Maelle opened his mouth to argue, but Silas nodded and grabbed his arm to push him out the door without a word.
“What are you doing?” Maelle said. “We need to—”
“Just walk,” Silas said. “She’s done all she can.”
“Are you kidding? But—”
Silas didn’t bother arguing with him. He just cast a quick silencing charm at the other Alpha and started walking. Maelle silently yelled at him as they walked, but Silas refused to stop until they were out of sight from the Registar office.
At least until Maelle wrenched his arm away from him.
Silas looked back in time to deftly dodge out of the way of a large fist. When Maelle went to throw another, Silas rolled his eyes and caught his hand in one of his own. The irritation in Maelle’s eyes quickly turned to surprise when Sil didn’t even budge. Unfortunately for the other Alpha, Silas knew how to root himself in place and let the very earth at his feet become his strength.
“Are you done throwing your fit?” Silas said.
Maelle opened his mouth and looked like he screamed several things that would have his mum smacking him on the head if he voiced them in earshot of his little sister. Luckily, his voice was still a silent breath.
“Right,” Silas said. “Here.”
With another quick qave of his hand, he canceled the silencing charm and waited for Maelle to speak.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Maelle said. “What about Harry? We need to—”
“We need to nothing,” Silas said. “Read the paper. You’ll understand.”
Annoyed, Maelle glared at him for several moments before huffing as he opened his message to see what had so easily made Silas give up. He barely glazed at it before his eyes snapped wide open.
“Is this for real?” Maelle said.
“It seems so,” Silas said. “I can’t see someone going out of their way to play such a stupid trick.”
“Then…we’ll get to see him?” Maelle said, his voice almost childlike.
“I suppose we will,” Silas said.
The two of them lapsed into silence, and Silas absently rubbed at the ache in his chest while staring into the distance. Two days. He could wait two days. It was worth the wait for the chance of being with him. To be able to be in the presence of his other half once more. To stare once more into those startling green eyes that had been on his mind from the moment he’d heard that cry.
“What do we do now?” Maelle said, looking a little lost now that they had seemingly accomplished what they’d been working on.
“Well—”
Before Silas could answer, both of them froze. They could feel the magic racing through the earth even before the others around them noticed the shaking. And then the magical backlash from whatever had happened reached them.
“What the hell?” Maelle said. The alert for Healers came a second later and Maelle cursed. With a quick spell, he was immediately wearing his Healer’s robes and he turned to Silas with a serious look. “I have to—”
“Go,” Silas said. “There are things I have to do anyway.”
Maelle nodded and then called out the incantation for a portal as Silas stepped back from him.
As soon as he was gone, Silas glanced around the street. All around, people were quickly grabbing their loved ones and scattering to safe areas. Silas watched them for a moment and then sighed. Turning on his heel, the Alpha started south towards one of his contacts that had managed to last almost since his childhood.
If he was to see his little green eyed Submissive Friday, then he would make sure he was prepared to do so.
Maelle sighed as he stepped back and started the emergency transport for another Pareya. Most everyone had been sent off to different clinics that were set up for emergency situations and they were just triaging the last group. Making his last note on his current chart, Maelle nodded to the Medic to start the medical portal. As his patient was ported away, Maelle cracked his neck and turned to see what was next.
A senior Healer stood at the entrance of the tent, so he started walking back there to see what else he could do. It was as he was on his way, passing by a couple Healers finishing up their own notes. He would have just continued on, but something made him slow as he passed them.
“Whoever bound that Gheyo’s arm saved him from a nasty few weeks of healing,” the first said.
“Which one?” the second said.
“Anders I think was the name.”
“Ah. Another of Peverell’s patients then.”
“Really? The same one that strapped in the Pareya that had the brain bleed?”
“Yep. Pretty sure he just thought it was a concussion, though.”
“Huh…nice to see someone so young be such a competent Medic. I could use someone like that at our office.”
“What did you say his name was?” Maelle said, interrupting them.
The other Healer raised an eyebrow at the anxious tone in Maelle’s voice but answered him easily enough. “The young Peverell. Harry,” they said.
Maelle’s eyes snapped wide. Harry was there? “Where is he now?” Maelle said.
“He finished his last check and was sent on his way. Why?”
“How long ago did he leave? And which way did he go?” Maelle said.
“Just up the hill. What are—”
Maelle didn’t wait for him to finish. In a moment he was rushing past the Healer’s and Medics still present and up the short hill overlooking the western wall. He scanned over the space quickly but…
The street was almost bare considering the entire area had been evacuated. A group of food stalls stood out among the quiet with the sizzle of food on hot plates and the gentle chatter of those running them. The only patreon, though, was an extremely tall, black skinned male talking to one of the individuals behind the stall on the farthest left.
But Harry, if he’d ever been there, was gone.
Maelle clenched his fists but he forced back the disappointment that wanted to bubble up. He’d missed his chance today, but it wouldn’t be the last.
Stadium Park at two o’clock on Friday.
He’d be there.
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