Chapter 11: 11. Alicia: Not All Change is Good

Alicia’s body automatically tensed at the sound of the voice. Her stomach churned over with a bloom of emotions. A part of her missed them terribly but the rest reacted to the person they’d become.

“You don’t know a thing about me,” Alicia quipped back, annoyed by the sudden intrusion. “And it’s Alicia. You don’t get to refer to me as anything else.”

Her fist clenched. She held back the destruction she wanted to unleash upon them. Ventus sighed.

“How droll.” Ventus was framed by a harsh white light and all Alicia could tell was they cocked their head to glance behind them. “The door is wide open and you’re not even going to try and get out?”

Alicia bit down on her cheek. They were baiting her and she wasn’t about to bite.

“Fine. Enough of the amazing small talk then,” Ventus held out a beckoning hand. “Come on, and don’t make me ask twice.”

Alicia held her place not in the mood to cooperate. A fight might do her some good right about now; work out all the emotions coiling in her stomach. She lifted her chin up defiantly, challenging them to try it.

Ventus paused a moment and even in the dark Alicia could feel their eyes tracing along her body. She was suddenly well aware she’d taken off a good amount of her clothes.

“On second thought, get dressed. I’ll be here waiting for you.” They leaned on the iron door and watched Alicia for a moment before looking back out into the hall.

Alicia held her breath and counted the seconds until she could feel her lungs ache for air. Starve the fire, as her teachers taught her. Natural fire users tended to be rash and have tempers which was good for destruction but she needed to hold on for longer. Keep those flames stoked but manageable.

“A fight here wouldn’t be good,” Farah whispered to Alicia as she backed into the room. “There’s many things that have been written that still have yet to be deciphered.”

Alicia followed Farah’s empty gaze as she turned to the other room. Papers littered the ground, strewn about in erratic ways. Just catching the light from outside Alicia could make out the red writing that worked its way from the center of the room to the walls as far as the arms of the short woman could reach.

“Right, of course, Farah.” Alicia nodded.

She went around the little bedroom and picked up the clothes she’d shed before climbing into bed. As Alicia redressed she weighed her options. Fighting her way out was not guaranteed to be successful and she might end up being disposed of in the end. Waiting for an opportunity to escape meant allowing her family to be hunted and perhaps hurt, but the Order wouldn’t actually kill them right? They were evil yes, but also calculating, they would know that Alicia would give them nothing if her family were harmed.

Even more so, they would want to trick Natasha into helping them achieve their goals. She was their end goal, her not cooperating would only hinder them.

Alicia blanched at that thought. She’d once believed in their lies and manipulations. It was all too easy to fall prey to an order who on the outside seemed to be doing good. That you need to try and save the world, to protect those who you think need you even if they don’t want it, it can lead you to do terrible things. You end up hurting those you love in the process.

Fighting wasn’t in the cards then. Fighting was a risk. She might not be able to make sure her children weren’t indoctrinated if she miscalculated. She had to make it out, but she had to wait for the right moment. Stephen would look after them, and her contact in Dinir would make sure they stayed safe. They were at least together. For now, it was best Alicia made sure she could join them one day soon.

She pulled on her v-neck sweater and realized that she was wearing her work clothes still. Black slacks, a work appropriate cable knit sweater over a button up shirt. Black Windsor style kitten heels. It didn’t fit the setting at all.

Shaking out her hands to work out the nerve, Alicia walked out into the dark room. Ventus hadn’t moved yet, seeming to be lost in thought. She watched them silently struck by how little they’d changed on the outside.

They were still Ventus. One of her best and oldest friends. Who fought tooth and nail for her when they were young; a person she would’ve died to protect.

Alicia didn’t want to think of it. All those years meant nothing now. The weight of the past was too much to bear on top of everything. The canyon between them was too wide to cross now.

“Well?” She said, grabbing Ventus’ attention. “What new hell are you going to put me through today?”

Ventus flashed a wicked grin. Once upon a time Alicia would have replied with one of her own. Mischievous devil’s they’d been together. Now it just set her on edge.

“Glad you asked, Alicia.” They said her name with a heavy dose of venom. “You’re going to have to wait and find out won't you?”

They lifted an arm up indicating for Alicia to go on ahead of them. She hesitated. Ventus quirked an eyebrow and Alicia relented. She picked her way to the open door and passed them without giving them a glance. Ventus followed wordlessly.

Down the stairs, they told Alicia the direction to turn when. It felt like they were playing around with her, leading the pair along a winding path just to confuse her. She kept quiet though trying her hardest to temper her emotions as they coursed through her.

“Through this door here,” they said and Alicia complied. “You’ve been quiet.”

“For your own good, Ventus. It’s taking everything I have to not destroy you.”

They laughed with an ease that Alicia was too familiar with. It was genuine, friendly even, an openness one only shows someone they’ve known since they were young. It made her want to punch them even more.

She flinched when they touched her shoulder. “Now be good, sit over there would you?”

Alicia didn’t want to. Something about this room set her off as soon as she’d opened the door.

There was no other furniture inside but a folding chair set up in the center. It was a windowless room with several sconces set up on the walls that shone a brilliant light. It made the shadows of the chair reach out in the four cardinal directions. The same inky map the magister had summoned was cast upon the floor centered with Europe somewhere in the middle. It smelled of the air just before lightning struck. Alicia’s hairs instinctually raised at the electricity.

“Our scout came back,” Ventus said, giving Alicia a nudge forward. “Blasted kid shouldn’t have been the first one to make contact. Stupid mistake that won’t happen again.”

Something in Ventus’ voice gave Alicia pause. She turned to meet their gaze. Annoyance was written in their frown but their eyes were darker.

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“What do you mean—mistake, Ventus?” Alicia asked, eyeing them. “If I find out one of my family’s been harmed—”

“Yeah, yeah, you’ll kill me or something.” Ventus pointed to the chair. “If I had it my way, they would’ve been safe by your side right now—Alicia. Now sit.”

“Would you, now?” Alicia threw them a skeptical look. “What is this room?”

“Sit down and I’ll give you a run down.”

Ventus stood blocking the door now. There was nowhere else to go. She sighed and complied, striding over to the chair. It looked out of place and as soon as she got closer she noticed her shadows moved with the placement of the lights, looking as though they were dancing. She hesitated before sitting and the cold metal sent a shiver up her spine.

“There, not so hard.” Ventus crossed the room and took off a small pack they’d been wearing over their shoulder.

Whatever was inside clanged as it hit the floor. They opened it up and took out four long metal spikes about the length of their arm. The sheen on them was off as the light glinted off the surface, shimmering with pearlescence. The spikes did not cast a shadow.

“So, as to what we are doing here.” Ventus went to the north wall and held a spike aloft, the pointed end facing down. A soft glow emanated from their hand and the spike sounded off a dulcet tone. “I’m going to make sure you and your family are reunited, wholly and unharmed.”

One by one Ventus made their way to the other sides of the room, next was east, then south, and finally west. Each spike rang a new tone that harmonized with the others creating a chord that reverberated through the ground. The light flickered as the last hum joined in. Alicia’s bones felt wrong as the sound hit her in waves.

“What is this?” Alicia winced feeling like she was being torn in two.

The chair rattled with the force.

“I’ve picked up a few tricks in the last few years.” They began to pull at the flow of the chorus, their hands moving like a conductor, weaving it into a discordant song. “You know that Natural Adept families are tied all together by more than just genetics. We’re connected by the aether that flows through us, parent to child, siblings to siblings. This allows us to do the Natural Magic we’ve been gifted with.”

As Ventus spoke they returned to the northern side of the room and faced Alicia. The sound was almost unbearable. Alicia’s head was splitting. She managed to look to the side and was surprised by the fuzzy outline of a shadow in the vague shape of herself sitting behind her facing the south side. Her eyes widened. It looked right back at her as she did.

“With some force, and a bit of fenagling, I can take that connection between relatives and manipulate it.” Ventus looked to be exerting some effort, beads of sweat rolling down their face, as they held their hand to channel the sound into the shadow.

Alicia screamed as a bit of herself was ripped away. The magic culminated in a high pitched ringing—then the room went dark and they were left in silence. Icy tendrils of air licked at Alicia from all sides. The lamps flickered back on and in between her and Ventus stood a fully formed figure. It was the deepest black, formed from thick smoke that churned inside an invisible barrier.

Seeing it staring back at her set Alicia on edge. She went to stand but found her body wouldn’t move. She was trapped. Her heart raced. Ventus stepped around and inspected their work. They wiped the sweat from their eyes and heaved a few deep breaths. They looked at the real Alicia looking very satisfied with themself.

The shade shifted from in front of Alicia to the opposite side of the room. She couldn’t turn her head to face the thing but through a connection to it Alicia knew that it was behind her.

“Oh, look at that.” Ventus said, looking off behind her. “She’s so sad. Boy, you are really messed up behind that fierce expression, aren’t you?”

Alicia struggled against the paralyzation to no avail. She was frozen, cold as ice, her blood felt like it’d stopped moving through her veins, her heart beat slowed to such a low pace. Ventus’ eyes fell back on her. There was no emotion behind their sparkling ice-blue eyes. They walked past her to where Alicia assumed the shade stood. There was a whisper that sounded like it was right next to her ear. It babbled incoherently.

“Poor thing, you want to see your family don’t you?” Ventus murmured to the shade.

The blood drained from her face.

“Go on, show me where they are.” Their voice was soft, gentle even. In past years it would’ve been comforting. “Good, I want to make sure they’re safe, too. Bring home the oldest if the rest won’t come. You can do that right?”

Alicia could just see in her peripheral vision that they moved together. The thing stood up from it’s huddled position. Rather than walk it appeared in the western side of the room. Trying with all her strength Alicia tried to break free—to stop it—to tell Ventus to stop. Anything. Alicia hyperventilated; her breath not reaching her lungs. Stop, stop.

Her facsimile looked at her as it stepped over where Canada was located on the map. Alicia was overtaken by a deep despair. Beating past that she tried to push her own pleading towards it. It hesitated for a moment. The cold grip on Alicia tightened, pushing the air from her. She couldn’t focus on her emotions anymore as spots blurred her vision.

“Let her bring them home to you, Alicia.” Ventus moved over to its side. “A mother wouldn’t harm her children. Just remain calm, and they’ll be at your side in no time, I promise.”

There were only a few places they could be at this point. If this manifestation really could tell where they were, if it had a connection to them through her, it was over. It held a hand out and tendrils of shadow formed linked it to the map. The shade disappeared as it was pulled in. As it did Alicia was finally released from the spell in a whirling of wind.

Alicia shot up and turned on Ventus who was inspecting the spot their summon had merged with. A deep black spot marred the floor. Before Ventus could react Alicia instinctively released a destructive wave of magic with a wave of her arm. They were flung into the wall cracking their head hard. They slumped over. Rather than get up to prepare for a fight they stayed on the ground and laughed.

“You’ve not changed for shit,” they spat, lips pulling into a snarl. “Go on, keep fighting, you’re only going to hurt yourself in the end.”

The comment took her off guard; Alicia didn’t know how to respond. That feeling of despair she’d felt from the mirror version made so much sense. It crept up on her again. She fought it back and as she did it was replaced by anger. Ventus meant to hurt her. They knew exactly how to push her buttons and were right: she hadn’t changed.

She attacked again this time sending a wave of fire which filled the room in searing heat. The glass holding the light crystals shattered from the sudden change in temperature. Ventus’ ritual spikes had been hammered into the wall with resounding metal chime. The room spun as the shadows crept up the wall with the crystals shattering and spreading along the floor. They were thrown into a hazy gloom of the low, crackling flames.

Ventus flung into action—snuffing the air out of the flames with one sweep of their arm, and using the momentum to swing themself up into a standing position. Alicia rushed forward following another bout of flames that were again starved, but rather than use it as an offence she covered her movements with the puff of smoke. Changing her balance she threw all her weight into her elbow knocking the wind from Ventus. They threw up a shield of vibrating air, throwing Alicia’s elbow to the side, and Alicia countered with twisting her arm and countering it with a burst of pure, destructive energy.

They’d been through these motions before. Attacking and countering. It’d been what they were taught their entire lives. Motion flowing into the next. Their sparring had once been filled with laughter and usually ended with them collapsing in a heap of giggles. This time Ventus was the enemy. An enemy that knew her moves as much as she knew theirs.

Alicia yelled with rage, pulling all the magic available to her to throw a punch at Ventus following their last counter. It landed with a resounding fracturing of their jaw. They grunted and reached up to hold their bleeding face with one hand and the other was held palm up to grab her attention

“W–wait, you need to stop, Rose—stop.” Ventus nearly whimpered, their eyes wide with worry. “I need to keep focus—”

It was already done, Ventus threw up their hands to try without any success, to hold Alicia back. Fury was a fire Adept’s deepest pool of magic. Wars were won when they were scorned. And Alicia was inconsolable, lost in it. With an open palm propelled with a jet of flames, Alicia struck Ventus in the chest feeling the satisfying crack of a rib. Another jab chased that up into their chin. Forcing them back into the wall with such impact that the stucco crumbled. Blood trailed after them as they collapsed to the floor.

Coming out of her blind rage Alicia took a step back and examined the scene. The once pristine room was charred, the crystals flickering out on the ground, a small trickle of blood ran down Ventus’ face which was slack and unmoving. Ventus’ hair was strewn over their face and Alicia couldn’t tell if they were conscious. The only sound now in the room was their rattling, shallow breaths.

They were wrong—so very wrong—Alicia had changed. All her discipline was lost to the furnace of rage inside her. She took another hesitant step back, her hands trembled from the adrenaline rush which was fading now. For a second she was lost, not knowing what to do. Ventus knew where her family were, and where they likely were headed. Everything was lost. She looked around. The only way forward now was escape.

So she ran.