Thief of Souls

Chapter Six

A hand grasped hers and she was startled out of the vision of the now clear ground as she was pulled backward into someone's arms, the push a scare in the circumstance, so much so she began to struggle against the person's steely arms.

"Stay with us Siori!" One of the twins shouted out, shielding her face from the worst of the cold wind with their arm. She stopped as soon as she heard that voice. She was grateful for the small reprieve and looked up to see her savior, a drunk Mung that looked all too sober now glaring hardily at the wayward dragon clawing at the sky.

"Whats happening! I thought Osirad was gentle and loyal! Not whatever he is now!" She had expected some kind of answer. A joke would've sufficed, but the twins didn't give any sort of response. They watched with her as the dragon swooped up and the Sea god rose to meet him, thrusting her arms up and creating a bubble of protection over the area. Siori looked up in brief awe as the sky darkened beneath the bubble, the world outside just a bit more hazy.

"Duck!" That was all she heard before she was pulled into an alley, and forced to the ground as the dragon flew low over them, his nails grazing the impenetrable surface of the bubble. She could only stare at his fleeing form as he flew angrily away, leaving only silence and a path of distraction behind.

"Has he forsaken us?" Siori turned to the hysterical-sounding voice, noticing for the first time that there were others also hiding in the small alleyway from the fury of the drake.

Bean lifted Siori up gently, apologizing for shoving her to the ground. But she couldn't even begin to listen to the girl's words as she straightened up and walked unsteadily to the edge of the alleyway. She bit her lips at the scene of destruction, the cracked paved roads, the ruined vendor's carts, the charming fountain in the middle of the square. Water flowed from the torn stomach of the cherub in small rivulets, one of its eyes missing, both wings torn away and leaving only stumps behind. And yet he smiled still and she could imagine it was a jolly macabre tune he played on his harp.

Cries of both help and pain, sorrow, and hopelessness filled the air both in a way that marooned Siori, and isolated her somewhere dark within her. The bubble of protection had been thrown up too late. She could not look at the bodies fading away into aether, those still stuck beneath slabs of marble. It seemed that they were dying their second and final time and it was both dreadful and anxious to watch as their forms turned... to nothing. And she could not watch the dead colorful fish that withered under the harsh sky into puddles of water. Her shaking eyes lifted towards the dais where the god was sinking back to the earth, hands to he heart and agonized eyes that Siori could feel even from where she stood. Agony she could feel and didn't want to.

"I want the city on lockdown." Her cold words boomed over the destruction, ruthlessly shoving into Siori's ears even as they weren't entirely comprehended.

"Take account of those who have been injured or died. And of damages that need to be fixed and inspected immediately." She commanded the guards and the folk still gathered in the square all at once. Shock and pain had disappeared from her face as cold steel replaced it. She turned around and an entourage of knights followed behind her dutifully.

"Watch the skies for signs of the dragon. And keep a lookout for any suspicious persons who may have something to do with this incident." The heels of her shoes on the cobblestone sounded very final as they struck away into the palace.

"Do you really think someone else has something to do with Osirad's betrayal?"

A gruff bark and the slam of a beer glass was the answer to the spirit's question.

"That's certainly what the Lady thinks! Why else would she be looking for suspicious people?"

Siori glanced around the inn dining room, noting with weariness the extra people that seemed to be around today.