An Affinity For Fire

24. Heleonne

Leo had barely slept. When he'd heard Fitteia's scream, he had wanted to visit them immediately, but he knew he would need the permission of Calio, and he couldn't find her anywhere. Then her bodyguard, Tanari, had informed everyone that the party had been called off and that everyone was to return to their bedrooms immediately. It wasn't until the morning, when he regrouped with Clover and Tarragon, that he found out why.

The realisation that three of the four mainland Kingdoms were now suffering attacks was enough to make him nauseous. His concern was not helped by the fact that Kona Roxeth had been a noble, a man with Mages in his family. What had seemed only an isolated threat was revealing itself to be a rapidly growing tumour.

A tumour which Leo had to stop before it killed anyone else he loved.

Tanari wouldn't let anyone near Calio, so he had resorted to asking Prince Innis for permission to consult Fitteia. The young Prince, clearly cautious of strangers after his sister's attack, had seemed content for Leo to do whatever he pleased, so long as he left him alone.

The scraping clink of the key echoed through the corridor as the guard locked the door behind him. He stood hesitantly on the top step, peering down into the ever-darkening tunnel. The air in the cave felt damp and oddly warm, condensation gathering on the black walls and ceiling. He heard, rather than saw, the water dripping to the stone ground below. Somewhere a long distance down, he could make out the flickering of a lamp.

With his breath held and his eyes fixed on the wet, uneven steps, he began to descend.

The corridor was tight, claustrophobic, and even the slightest sound bounced from the walls. The click of his shoes on stone, the shuffling of the fabric of his clothes. The deeper he got, the narrower the passage seemed to become, or perhaps it was just the dark playing with his mind. The temperature increased, too, as did the humidity, until the simple act of breathing made him feel like he was drowning.

Leo stumbled when he reached the bottom of the stairs, expecting his foot to fall to another step but hitting level ground instead. The tunnel opened into a wide cavern with a dozen or so lamps suspended from the ceiling, too high and too few to cast any substantial light. In their dim flickering, Leo could just about make out the shimmering of a large body of steaming water at the far end.

Edging cautiously towards the centre of the cavern, he heard something beginning to hiss. As the rasping hiss grew louder, it was accompanied by a creaking, like the gentle groan of a ship, and a high rattling like the rustle of chainmail. He became aware, suddenly, of something moving. In front of him, and to either side. Whipping his head repeatedly from one direction to another, he noticed the creature was circling him, slinking smoothly around him, coiling closer and closer until he could make out its golden scales.

Then, out of the darkness, it thrust its head forwards, its face inches from his.

"Heleonne Monfort of Dormis," Fitteia said. "Apologies for making you wait so long. There are just so many fascinating things happening in the world right now. I'm sure you can understand that I didn't want to miss anything."

The adarach's head was only around half a foot shorter than Leo's whole body, with dozens of spindly antenna emerging from their cheeks, above their eyes and around their neck. They spoke with a low, strained voice which cracked and groaned.

"Fitteia," Leo said, struggling to keep his own voice steady, "I've come to see you because we need some help."

The creature made a sound which might have been a laugh, although it was hard to tell. "You humans do love to state the obvious, don't you? I know why you're here. But, come on, we've got time, let's have a little chat first. I've got some questions I'd like to ask you." Fitteia continued to circle Leo, their scales scraping the stone floor.

"Questions?" Leo said. "But, you know everything ... Right?"

"No," They said, turning abruptly to circle in the other direction. "A common misconception, that. Adarachs see and hear everything and make assumptions based on observation. For instance, I observe you dancing with Clover Cadarn and I make the assumption, based on your posture and vocal alterations, that you want to fornicate with her."

Leo almost choked. "Wh-what?!"

"Oh, sorry, that's not how humans say it, is it? You like her. Why can't you creatures just be straight forward? You're the only species that treats attraction like it's indecent."

"Excuse me, Fitteia, but I am soon to be engaged, and regardless of whether I may or may not ... like Clover, it doesn't mean I want to ... well, you know."

"My observations lead me to disagree," Fitteia said, changing direction again. "But, that has nothing to do with my questions. Shall we move on?"

"Yes, please, lets."

"So," they began, "your little trio. How is that working out for you? You're all getting along? You trust each other?"

Leo frowned. "Well ... yes, more or less."

"More or less isn't good enough. Are you honest with them, and do you believe they are honest with you?" They stopped moving, then, turning to face him directly.

"As I said, more or less."

The adarach's pale, green eyes fixed him with a quizical stare. They tilted their head, as if waiting for Leo to elaborate. When he didn't, they made a noise that sounded like a sigh and started to move again. "Look, it doesn't really matter if you lie to me. I can work out the truth for myself. But if the three of you don't start to be honest with each other, you are going to fail. It's that simple."

Something about the humidity and the constant movement was starting to make Leo's head spin. "Are you going to help or not?"

"Tell me what it is you're looking for."

"You know what we-"

"Tell me," Fitteia insisted.

Leo groaned. "We're looking for Cava."

"Then you're going to fail," Fitteia said.

"What?!"

"What are you really looking for? What is it that you need?"

Leo considered. "Cava's Tooth?"

"Getting there, still going to fail."

"A basilisk's tooth," he said, "In the simplest terms, we need a basilisk's tooth. But Cava's the last basilisk that may still be alive."

"You won't find Cava. You won't get one of his teeth. If you don't start looking for other solutions, you're not going to succeed."

"So how do we succeed?" Leo asked.

"I've told you everything you need to know. You can work the rest out without my help." Fitteia started to slither away from Leo and towards the pool of water at the opposite end of the cave.

"Wait, hold on. You haven't told me anything I need to know. You know what we have to do, can't you just tell me instead of being so ruddy cryptic?"

Fitteia began to slip into the scalding water. "And risk upsetting those of my kind who want you to fail? No, I don't think so. I just regret that I'm not tired enough to fall asleep and watch the conversation you're about to have. Now, that would be some quality entertainment." Without another word, the aderach disappeared underwater, leaving Leo alone in the dark.

He stood in silent shock for a while, not sure whether to leave or to wait for them to come back. When they didn't, he threw his hands in the air in frustration. "Fine," he shouted to the empty cave. "You enjoy your mysteries. We don't need you anyway. Thanks for the help." With a sour temper and a fair amount of embarrassment, Leo turned on his heels and stormed out of the cave, desperately trying to come up with something useful to share with Clover and Tarragon.

If they're expecting answers, He thought as he ascended the stairs, My Fates, are they in for some disappointment.