Jaw

Chapter 25

Four raps in quick succession woke Silena.

Staying in her childhood home once again, she was forced to sleep on the living room sofa after Aunt Adele took over her bedroom. Of course, the knock on the front door woke only her.

She debated leaving it– heavily debated. But in the two days since Zeke had declared Silena would be getting the Warhammer Titan, everything felt more important. There had been a lot of false omens in the Lehmann house lately, but this was real. Really.

And Silena's suspicions were glorified when she, unfortunately disheveled, opened her door to find a perfectly proper Isabelle Tybur.

About a hundred greetings came to mind, ranging from hello to couldn't you have picked a better time? Silena's groggy, stupid head settled on a groan of, "What time is it?" While she ran a hand through her curls.

"Half past three," Isabelle replied, sounding bemused. "Would you care for a walk?"

She absolutely wouldn't. In fact, there wasn't much Silena wanted to do less, but Isabelle Tybur wouldn't ask unless it was important. Silena nodded, head full of rocks.

Slipping on a jacket— which was absolutely inappropriate because it was summer– Silena locked the door behind her. Hopefully after four years the key was still under the mat. She didn't bother to check.

They left the house without a word, turning left and passing Pieck's house. Silena checked in Pieck's window for light and was gratified to find it. The familiar sight made her smile.

She let Isabelle lead her past Porco's house and all the way out of the Internment Zone. They walked in silence. Silena kept her head down for the most part, exhausted and trying not to trip over her own feet. But Isabelle looked around the town, something like wonder glistening in her dark eyes. It occurred to Silena that Isabelle really didn't get out much.

Eventually, they stopped in a great grassy field. It took Silena a moment to realize where Isabelle had taken her: it was the landing field for the war balloons. She'd been here only a handful of times with Zeke and the other Warriors as a child, but the field was always full of balloons. Now, it seemed they were all still away.

Silena turned a quick circle to make sure they were the only ones in the field– no spies or guards to listen in on them. She asked, "Isabelle, what are we doing out here?"

It wasn't a completely innocent question: Silena had an inclination to why Isabelle had taken her, but she didn't dare assume.

Isabelle let out a soft laugh. "You know why."

"No, I'm not sure I do."

"You know why myself and my family are here in Liberio, Silena. Or you think you do, at least. I think I know your warchief well enough to know that you've all guessed at our reasons for coming here. I must admit that coming to see you wasn't part of the plan at all. I think if Willy knew I was here, he'd have a fit."

Silena sucked in a frustrated breath. Isabelle hadn't answered her question– just given her more. And maybe Isabelle knew this, because she wore an uncanny smile.

"If I told you what we were really here for, you wouldn't believe me," Isabelle admitted. "But my own agenda isn't my family's. I think it's a bit more in line with your chief's, as much as I hate to say it."

At last, Silena dared to fill in the gap. "You're giving me the Warhammer."

Isabelle didn't answer her for a long while. In that time, she paced a long arc around the field while Silena was helpless to watch. Eventually she came to a stop, several feet away from Silena but right in front of her. She said, "I came to beg you to take it, actually."

She was stunned. In Silena's silence, Isabelle found her opening to continue. "I've always been very impressed with you. You're meek at times, and I think you can get stuck in your own head, but generally your prowess has been to my standards. For a while you seemed enthusiastic about the power, and I was enthusiastic about giving it to you. But these last few years, your interest has dwindled. You got a taste of the reality, perhaps, and realized it wasn't for you? Whatever your reason, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to disregard it."

Isabelle paused for a moment, as she liked to, to give Silena a moment to question. When she stayed silent, Isabelle continued. "You remember Kaiser Atlas? The candidate for Inheritance?"

Of course she did. Silena nodded, an involuntary shiver running up her spine as she remembered the cruel man.

"He was injured quite badly during the war– lost an arm and a leg. He's quite despondent over it, and he certainly can't take the power in his current state, but I'm running out of time. So the plan is to give the power to my niece– little Fine." Isabelle paused for a moment, her smile widening in fondness. "I never thought I would care so much for her. As you can imagine, it makes the idea of bringing her into this world difficult."

She trailed off, staring off into the distance. If she was any less stoic, one might have detected her guilt.

"You want me to take the power so your niece can't get it?" asked Silena, just to confirm. She looked at Isabelle, scanning her sharp features for any sign of trickery. She was unsurprised to find none; Isabelle didn't joke, especially not about something so serious.

"Okay."

Isabelle jolted, like she'd woken from a dream. "Okay?" She asked and it was tentative, scared. She really had been expecting to beg Silena.

"Okay," Silena confirmed.

"Okay," Isabelle muttered to herself. Her eyes scanned over the field before she pulled out a small carved box, and from it, a syringe.

Silena startled, hardly meaning to. She couldn't help it. "Now? We're doing this now?"

"Of course." Isabelle was staring at her like she was insane to have thought anything else, though still with that tentativeness begged her not to leave. "Why do you think I brought you out here? You haven't got cold feet, have you?"

"No." Isabelle needed this– she really needed this. For Fine. "Just. Move quickly, alright?"

A fond smile crossed Isabelle's face for just a moment and, like that, they were back on the patio of the Tybur estate, sipping tea and gossiping about the family. Weapons made from scraps were spread out on the table and Isabelle was considering them, turning them every which way to get every angle, and giving praise or criticism where needed. She was always so honest, so just. She didn't lie, didn't sugarcoat.

But they weren't at the estate. They were in a field in the middle of Marley and Silena about to take the power of the Warhammer Titan. Only one of them would leave this field.

"Wait." Silena's hands came to cover Isabelle's as she fiddled with the vial and syringe. Isabelle's dark eyes searched her face. "Couldn't this wait? Just until after the festival? I've hardly seen you these last few years."

"Oh, Silena." Isabelle brushed her hands off and resumed what she was doing. The syringe filled quickly with pale liquid under her thin, quick fingers. "I don't have time. The end of my life could come any day– at any time. And I couldn't steal the serum from my brother a second time. I truly apologize. Our relationship hasn't been what I'd have liked it to be these last few years. But we'll have the next thirteen years of your life to reconnect."

Silena managed a shaky smile. "Okay." She wanted to do something– anything– to say goodbye. But as she thought about it, she found that there were so many things she wanted to say to the great woman before her, that nothing could come out.

Still stuck in her head, she moved the hair from her neck and let Isabelle insert the needle. Silena barely remembered to look at Isabelle Tybur for the last time before she was engulfed in electric gold.

...

It was seven meters tall and looming over the grass. Around it, the world hummed. On the ground was a pinprick of a woman.

It reached out, fingers grasping at the woman. She didn't fight. Her face was blank as it drew her closer– peaceful. When it was close enough to look at her eyes, she smiled.

It feasted.