White Thorn | On Hold

When the Sun Goes Down

A sharp rap at her window pulled her out of her reading, her eyes flickering over to the window as it was pushed open. Lydia and Jake had arrived.

"Move your fat—"

"Don't you dare finish that statement, Jakey." Lydia hissed, clambering slowly through the open window.

"Well it's true! You eat far too much cake."

"Are you touching my butt?"

"I'm trying to help you through, ungrateful pig—oww!"

Arya stared at Lydia. "Um... Need a hand?" she asked, smiling slightly as she grunted in agreement, gratefully accepting Arya's hand. She pulled her through with little difficulty, helping Jake through seconds later, ignoring the pointed glares they were sending each other as they all took a seat on her rug.

"So..." Lydia broke the silence that'd fallen, biting her lip. "You said you saw this lion head in the North Library?"

"That's right." She nodded.

"Let's see the riddle again," Jake said, patting the space in front of him. "Now that we've figured out where the hell it's talking about, I think we ought to have a closer look at it..."

"Sure," she said, climbing to her feet slowly, glad the Disciplinary Committee was taking a break from Arya-Watch that night—though no doubt Flynn's sixth sense when it came to her was already blaring the warning sirens. "Where did I put it again...?"

"Don't tell me you've lost it," Lydia grumbled, eyeing her up as she flicked through the papers buried in her bedside drawer while her cousin went and explored the room. "Jake, stop pawing through her underwear drawer!"

Arya's head snapped around. "Huh?"

"I'm not!" he yelled, his face bright red. "I'm just looking through her cross collection... it's quite extensive..."

"Oh, so why are you blushing?"

"I'm blushing at the thought!"

"Oh, so you're imagining going through a girl's panty drawer?"

"LYDIA!"

"You're so easy to tease, Jakey-boi..." she said, pushing herself to her feet and wandering over to see what all the fuss was about. Lydia blinked, staring down into the drawer, transfixed by Arya's gigantic collection of crosses.

"Um..." Arya held up the crumpled piece of paper with the riddle written on it. "I found it..."

"I guess she takes pride in her namesake," Lydia mumbled, flicking Jake's fingers away from the shining silvery crosses scattered throughout the large drawer.

"Apparently so..."

"I found it," Arya repeated, waving the sheet about.

"Good." Lydia sat back down and smiled. "Let's see it again," she said, freezing as yellow light flared out from behind her.

"Jake?" Arya stared at him, eyes widening at the sight which greeted her.

Yellow fire surrounded his hand, crackling loudly as he waved his hand about desperately trying to extinguish the flames. "The hell?" he cried, sprinting into her bathroom, shoving his hand under the tap.

"You OK, Jake?" Lydia was next to him in seconds, concern written across her face as she fished the cross Jake had been holding out of the water. "What the hell happened?"

"Don't ask me!"

"But you're the one it happened to..." She stared at him flatly.

"I don't know." He shrugged. "One second I was holding that cross... the next, there were yellow flames... just like his," he said, grinding his teeth together, pausing as realisation shot through him. "Oy, Arya..."

"What?"

"Wasn't there something about yellow flames in that riddle you have?"

Arya paused, sitting down on the rug while Lydia fussed over her cousin. She smoothed the piece of paper out, examining it closely.

North is what you seek,

For the girl you keep,

Has many secrets to hold,

So discover the truth and what's been untold,

Then you'll be able to find,

The tale which should be burnt into your mind,

Underneath the lion's head it waits,

Waiting for the yellow flames it hates.

"Yellow flames... You're right." She nodded.

Jake scowled. "I suppose I should've guessed... he's always been associated with lions and yellow flames..."

Lydia smiled at Arya's confusion. "He has... problems with lions and yellow flames..."

"You don't say?" she mumbled. "Jake, do you want some burn cream? I think I have some left in—" her voice died and she blinked once again.

His arm was fine.

Perfectly fine.

Almost as if the fire had never started.

"Fae skill... I guess..." she mumbled, not that surprised in the least.

She'd seen flames like those before, after all.

"Nope. Humans can get this lil flaming skill too... but they usually have to work fairly hard—but we don't need to get into that just yet," Lydia said. "I'm thinking we need to go to the North Library—now." She walked back to the window, climbing back out before she turned and sighed at them. "Come on. This is the only chance we get before Blaine or Flynn are back on Babysitting Duty at nights again..."

Arya was the first to move, clambering over the sill with surprising grace—expertly climbing down the vines and rough brickwork of the building's outside.

"You know the way, don't you?"

"Of course. What do you take me for?"

"An idiot," Jake muttered, landing silently on the courtyard paving next to them.

"Aww, I love you too, Jakey."

"Shouldn't we get going?"

"Right." Lydia nodded.

"Rooftops?" he questioned.

"Yep," she said, climbing back up onto one of the many roofs surrounding them on all sides. It was lower down than Arya's window, so it didn't take long for them to find themselves perched on the slate roof.

Movement caught her eyes below and Arya paused. She recognised that mop of red hair, if only vaguely. They'd only been in class together for a matter of days before she'd been moved, but she occasionally saw the other first year around.

Lexie Crow.

And she was lying in a pool of her own blood.