Underneath the Moon is Where My Secrets Lie

Chapter Twenty: Emerald Rain

     That night, I went to Aldergore's home.

     I tumbled in through a window.

     "Hello," I said as I landed, bits and pieces of glass flying. I started watching a startled expression form on his face.

     "I'll bet you know why I'm here."

     "Raven... please! I... you know why I did it! Why I had to...?"

     "No, you didn't have to. I know what you did to him."

     After I'd disarmed him, I made him pay for what he'd done to Rennasin Aledris Knifeborn.

     And I made sure the entire city could hear.

* * * * * * *

      I had no other choice. I would have to go and find Emeran.

     After discussing this with the DAA, of course.

     And being told rather sternly to leave it to the police.

     But did I listen?

     Of course not.

     I remember finding a black leather-bound book in Emeran's house.

     I remember taking it out of a floorboard before I left. There, on the floor, I flipped it open to the most recent date.

     It was the day he'd first met me.

     I started to read.

     Raven came into Aldergore's office today. I was surprised to see how he looked; I mean, I haven't seen him in a while. I haven't really gone...

     Anyway, I thought that he knew about me for a second, the way he was analyzing me and all. But then I realized that that's what he does to new people. He attempts to tell if the person has some good in them or not, and he tries to see what they're all about.

     It's kind of like the type of glance you give someone when you try to see if something's wrong with them.

     Anyway, if he ever finds out, I just want him to know that I had to.

     But I had help...

     Those were the last words my "brother" - if you could even call him that - had written in the little book.

     It was incriminating evidence.

     And even though the book didn't tell me where he'd gone, I had a faint idea.

* * * * * * *

     I made emeralds rain from the sky.

     These words were spray-painted in green on the wall of the tunnel I was in.

     I touched two fingers to it, and they came off slightly wet, and tinted with different greens.

     I was in the foreign city where such an unfortunate event had occurred.

     Gridwater.

     A city full of barely-drinkable water.

     Obviously.

     I took a bunch of things from my house, and they were already inside my cloak. I had prepared for the worst... and I had brought a couple of my affordable luxuries; my twin mercury knives, waterproof matches, and a couple of other playthings. 

     Including a couple day's worth of rations, packed in a semi-flat black canvas backpack that had barely made a small lump in the backside of my cowl when I wore it.

     I could start slumming it if I had to.

     Here's a hint, though: I planned to get in and get out of this city as fast as I -

     Chiknk!

     I whirled around, startled.

     A knife was imbedded in the white plaster wall a half foot away from me, cracking the spray-painted "y" in the word "sky".

     "Emeran?" I asked, my words echoing throughout the tunnel, my eyes fixed on the sunlight that lit up the dust in the air, kicked up by the wind from the dirt road, "Is it you?"

     "Would it be a surprise if I said yes?" a familiar voice spoke outside of the tunnel.

     "Just get in here," I muttered, my voice amplified by the tunnel.

     He walked into the tunnel, the silver on his hood shining in the dark.

     "And you didn't call me?" he teased, his sharp canines glistening as they arranged themselves into a sharp grin.

     "Well, our 'family' is a bit separated, so you can clearly see why I didn't."

     "Hm. I see." 

     Emeran's voice was apologetic, but his icy blue eyes flashed mercilessly. 

     The same, usual, large shreds of cruelness - but maybe it was my imagination, though, that I was seeing more emerging - shone in them.

     He removed his hood, and I removed mine.

     His left, top, elongated canine bit into his bottom lip as his eyes slid to mine. 

     "I'm sorry, Raven." 

     His words slid out the unoccupied edge of his mouth.

     "Not sorry enough, though."