An Assassin In Time

Chapter 9.1: Lincoln's Pot

You didn't think I'd forget about you guys just because of an eclipse and my internet going out a dozen times today, did you :p

Part One

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Vellis laughed. It was a disturbingly light sound. He had Lincoln's pipe in his hand, smoke curled off of it and up into the open sky. They had climbed up onto the roof of one of the buildings, Vellis leaned against a sturdy chimney of red bricks. His eyes flashed in the dark as he grinned. The look took some of the mystery from the boy.

Castian hadn't touched the pipe. One of them had to retain reason. Vellis had smoked it and filled it twice now, and each time he held it out towards him. It felt like a peace offering, but Castian couldn't even remember their war. He watched as the other boy set the lighter flame to the dark wood of the pipe. He choked on the smoke, then started laughing again.

"God, it tastes awful. Lincoln does not know what good pot is."

Castian quirked an eyebrow at him. "And... you do?"

"Castian," he said, tapping the empty pipe in his hand, "give me some credit."

He didn't know what that was supposed to mean, so Castian said nothing, watching as Vellis filled the pipe again in the dark. He held it out.

Castian stared at it, then the other boy. Vellis was smirking, an unbearable look when directed at him. He reached out and took it. It smelled like skunk, but... sweeter? Vellis let the lighter slide down the roof to him, and Castian only hesitated a moment before picking it up. It was warm now, hot almost, as if the fire longed to slip free.

"Hey?" Castian looked up. "I know man," Vellis said. He frowned at him. This was why he shouldn't be getting high in the middle of a city, in a time he didn't know. Nonsense. He started to hand the pipe back, but Vellis shook his head. "No. I know. I know you're afraid of it."

"I am not afraid, I just think it's a bad idea whi--"

"No," Vellis broke in, laughing. "Afraid of the fire."

Castian went perfectly still, fingers tightening on the lighter till his knuckles hurt. He almost threw it at Vellis. But that would prove him right, he was sure.

"I don't know what you mean," he said. Castian's thumb pressed lightly on the button at the top of the lighter. A flame shot up from the top of it, wavering in the dark. Castian flinched and it went out. He waited for Vellis to laugh again, teeth tight in expectation. Everything was silent save for the sounds of the old city at night. A carriage and team plodded through the street below. Castian looked up as the echoes of the hooves faded into the darkness.

Vellis was watching him, and something utterly unexpected shone out from behind his eyes. Pity. Castian cringed, turning his gaze to the stars above them.

"You know, you hide it pretty well, usually." Castian grit his teeth again. He didn't want to talk about this. Not here, not now. Never, preferably. He took a shuddering breath and could smell the smoke. The ghost of it filled him up inside. He could taste it on his tongue, and hear Taff as he slammed against the door. The splintering of wood. Someone else crying. A name, whispered, over and over again. He could remember it was a name, nearly make it out, but he never actually hear it. Then Taff was in the room. The memory dissolved for a moment, and the next thing he could see clearly was Taff, holding him and another boy with wide, blue-black eyes and a mess of black curls. Deric.

He shuddered, letting the memory slip away. His first memory. The day everything changed from something he no longer knew. The name lingered in the back of his mind, then blew away like a breeze back into the fog.

"Hey." Vellis nudged him lightly with his foot. "Tonight can you just pretend you don't have to fake everything?"

"No," Castian snapped. Then he lit the lighter again, and put the pipe up to his lips. Smoke filled his mouth, hot and sharp tasting. He tried to breathe it in. Panic sliced through him and he released it in a cough, sleeve covering his mouth. Vellis was watching him.

His heart hammered against the sides of his chest. It was just smoke. The thought didn't really help. Where there was smoke, there was fire. His hand moved up under his shirt of its own accord. When his fingers brushed against the puckered skin of the burn, Castian shuddered.

"Cas," Vellis said suddenly. "It's not like that, you know it isn't, there's barely enough fire in the lighter to burn your fingers."

"I know," he snapped. But knowing didn't help. He drew in a long breath, then expelled it. Knowing never helped. Ever. Not with this. No rational part of him felt the fear. I was all irrational and stupid. And he hated it. Hated how he could smelled the smoke of the house on himself, even now, twelve and a half years later. A lifetime and an infinity away from the kid he'd been, the kid he couldn't remember.

He looked up at Vellis. The stars spun slowly behind him, twinkling in the pitch black sky. Castian stared up at them, laying back on the roof.

"You going to give that back, or what?" Vellis asked after a long moment. Castian didn't reply. The stars and sky soared above him. And then, he was falling at them, only, he could still feel the roof under him. He fell down, down, down, and up into the sky. "Did you hear me, or are you ignoring me?"

Castian blinked, and everything went normal again, his head felt fluffy. "Ugh..." he turned so he could see Vellis. "Yeah, sorry." He handed the small wooden pipe back to him. Vellis stared at him expectantly. Oh. The lighter. He tossed it up and it landed in Vellis' lap. Then Castian let himself fall back again.

The sky stretched endlessly above him, and he stared into it, unblinking. A shooting star streaked across the sky, leaving a long smudge of light behind it. The stars felt like they were falling towards him, slowly growing closer, brighter.

"Cas?"

He blinked. The stars had moved across the sky more than he'd thought they had. How long had it been? What? Wait, no. He cleared his throat, repeating the question aloud, "What?"

"Do you miss him?"

A sharp breath snaked into his chest. Miss him. The him didn't need a name Why did Vellis care though? "Of course," the words came out faint. "Of course, I miss him."

"Do you think... what happened to him, will happen to us?" Fear lined Vellis' voice as he spoke. "Do think think he'll... do you think it will happen to us too?"

Castian slowly sat. He looked around over his shoulder at Vellis before turning his eyes to the dark street below. The other boy sat with his back to the chimney still, eyes shut. "I don't plan on being out of the Field a whole day," Castian said, staring down through the night at nothing. "I never plan on not coming home." On letting a timeline snatch him up, and rip him apart. That's what happened to Fieldborns if they stayed out longer than a day. That's what happened to him. He could hear Deric's laugh in the back of his mind. "Castian, you worry too much, I've got this one, rest." There had been something behind his eyes as he turned away. Fear, maybe. But that was unthinkable. Deric wasn't afraid. He was unnervingly brave. Stupidly, brave. And the idiot got himself caught and it killed him. Castian closed his eyes slowly. The laugh he'd known since he was a child, since before he remembered, chased after him.

"No," Vellis' voice shattered the wistful memories. "No I mean... Do you think he'll lock us out, like him?"

Castian swiveled sharply. "What?" the word came out hard. "What does that mean?"

Clifhangerrrrrrrrrrr. *Clears throat*. So what do you think is about to go down? I already know, but I'm curious XD.