Vistus

Laerya tilted her head, looking carefully at Akorri. It was odd that he should speak now after practically an entire day of silence, but she wanted it. She could use one of his jibes right now. Some familiarity after Fericeus’s unnatural behaviour was quite welcome.

But that wasn’t what she was going to get.

“I know who did it,” said Akorri. He sat still on the bed, keeping his head low, almost as if he might have been admiring the carpeted floor. Lae wanted that to be the case, to push back this feeling of unfamiliarity that wouldn’t go away, but instead to her he just looked... guilty.

“Did what?” she replied quietly.

“Who dug up the corpse.”

Her heart stopped. Had she heard right? That couldn’t be true. “What?”

“You heard me. I know who did it.”

Lae was too stunned to reply. All this time they had spent talking to the villagers, all of it was completely wasted because of the red-haired Fillian sitting right in front of her.

“You knew?” Jinny’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“Yes.”

The sun cast its light into the room through the window, and warmth came with it, but Lae couldn’t feel it. She couldn’t focus on anything at all. Her friend had kept her in the dark about something as serious as this, and he had done it on purpose. Her ‘friend’.

After a minute of silence in which Akorri did not elaborate, anger was finally beginning to push its way past Laerya’s shock. “You knew, and you didn’t tell us anything.” She narrowed her eyes. “You watched us search for an answer for ages, and you didn’t step in once!” Her body was trembling. “You made Feri lose sleep over something that could’ve been solved in one minute if you’d just spoken up!”

Akorri didn’t look up. “Yes.”

“So, why?” Akorri’s nonchalance sent another wave of anger through Laerya. Was he even aware of how serious this was? “Why’d you keep quiet?”

“Because I’m involved.”

There was a distant rumble outside, but Laerya paid no attention to it. There was no way she could have heard Akorri right. He couldn’t have anything to do with this.

“You’re... involved?” Her arms went limp. “You mean you were part of it?”

“Yes.”

“How?” Lae looked to Jinny, who seemed just as confused as she felt. “How?” she repeated, turning to Akorri, trying desperately to make sense of the situation. “How could you possibly be part of it?”

Akorri dared to raise his head. He looked just like he had when he’d come round to Feri’s house: apathetic and lost. It was as if there was no light in his eyes. “I had to find out where Vacerus was buried,” he answered.

Laerya didn’t quite get what was going on. Or rather, she didn’t want to get it. It was actually quite clear, far too clear. For some reason Akorri had given this information away, and now Vacerus’s bones were uncovered.  He was behind this. 

It was his fault.

“Nothing seems to have happened,” Jinny put in softly. “All we know is he was dug up.  We don’t know if it was for a good or bad thing.”

Laerya groaned. “Why would someone do it though?”

Jinny shook her head, at a loss.

Lae bit her lip. Her thoughts were quickly becoming disjointed, unable to figure out why Akorri would do something like this. There was still another question left. “Akorri.” She looked levelly at him. “Who did you do this for?”

Akorri opened his mouth, but nothing happened. His lips were clearly trying to form words that wouldn’t come. Laerya was beginning to feel very cold.

“Akorri?” Jinny pressed.

“Lorelei.”

“What?!” Laerya practically screeched in shock. “Lorelei? You mean the blue Feln? The one who insulted Jinny? The one who...” Then she realised it. “... The one who knew you...”

“Yes.”

“But why?” Nothing was making sense here. Laerya was this close to tugging at her ears in frustration, still reeling from Akorri’s betrayal. “What could Lorelei possibly want with Vacerus’s bones?”

“That, I don’t know. I didn’t even know she would go that far. I didn’t think she would actually try and dig them up...” The Fillian shook his head.

“Why did you help her?” Laerya asked.

“Because I had to.”

Laerya was at a loss for words. She glanced at Jinny, finding her own bewilderment reflected in her face. Then the confusion was quickly gone to be replaced by another flare of anger. Akorri had lied to them. Akorri, her friend, the one who accused her of not trusting him, had lied to her. She had been right; she had every reason not to trust him. And when he tried to give an explanation, it was just an excuse, as if he thought it would justify his actions.

“Why...?” Jinny murmured.

“We know why.” Laerya clenched her fist. “Because he’s a coward. He hid behind this information for ages and didn’t tell us anything, because then he’d be found out!”

“But he has told us,” Jinny replied, lowering her ears and looking away. “It took him a bit, but he did tell us in the end...”

“That doesn’t change the fact that he could’ve saved everyone all this worry if he’d just spoken up right at the start.” Laerya wondered why Jinny was defending him. He didn’t deserve it. From the moment they’d met up he had been nothing but insulting towards Lae. He was a jerk and a coward and she didn’t want to be in the same room as him. “I don’t have time for this,” she said, her ponytail whipping the air as she turned sharply away. “I’m going to find Lorelei and ask her what’s going on.” And with that, she left, slamming the door behind her.

-

Jinny flinched as the door slammed, having to take a moment before looking back up. Lae was gone, and it was just her and Akorri in the room. She looked at him, hunched over on the bed, his eyes unfocused. He looked so lost.

She was annoyed with him, of course. He had lied to them after all. But was it really as bad as Laerya thought? At least he had come forward, even if it had been a few days late. Why was Laerya so angry at him?

“Why didn’t you go with her?” Akorri muttered, startling Jinny out of her thoughts. She didn’t expect him to speak.

“She was in a rush...” she mumbled. Though truthfully, she didn’t want to be around Lae when she was this angry. She wasn’t comfortable around someone in Akorri’s state either, but it was preferable to the rage emanating from the purple rabbit girl.

Akorri didn’t reply. The two of them sat there, neither of them able to think much about anything. Jinny was still struggling to figure out Lae’s emotions. It was as if she felt betrayed.

Jinny looked out the window, at the clear sky outside, and thought it seemed rather out of place. It was such a nice day, but that was all she thought. She didn’t feel like going outside to enjoy it. She didn’t even feel warm. The bed’s duvet wasn’t as soft as usual. Nothing was comfortable. Everything felt detached.

“Sorry.”

Jinny blinked. Had Akorri just said something? It had been almost too quiet to make out. “Pardon?”

“I’m sorry.”

Jinny’s ears lowered again, her heart clenching in sympathy. Akorri truly did look apologetic. His eyes were dry, but they had no life. He looked more listless than she had ever seen, and yet she had a feeling this was not the first time he’d been this way. “It’s okay,” she replied, hoping to absolve him of some guilt.

“No, it’s not. I messed up really badly by not telling you guys about this. Lae was right, you know.” Akorri looked up at her, but it felt more like he was looking past her. “I hid this for my own benefit. I shouldn’t have. And now I can’t help feeling like something bad is going to happen because of it.”

“You don’t know that,” Jinny replied.

“No, but I’m pretty sure. Whatever Lorelei is planning to use those bones for, it can’t be good.”

Jinny blinked slowly. “I know Lorelei isn’t the... nicest person...” She tried to push away Lorelei’s insult that she constantly replayed in her head. “But do you really think she would do something bad with them?”

Akorri bit his lip. He didn’t seem to know how to respond, so Jinny put that topic away for the moment. There was something else she wanted to know first.

“Do you, um.... do you know why Laerya got so mad?” she asked, a little hesitantly.

Akorri snorted. “Oh yeah. I know. She feels like I betrayed her personally, I bet.”

“But why?”

Akorri sighed deeply. “I’m pretty mean to her, you know? We have a rocky relationship, but I know she always thought I’d come through in the end. She’s easy to read.”

Jinny wondered what he meant. As far as she was concerned, Akorri had come through with everything so far. He had tried to save her life from the bandits, and ran after Lae when she faced off against the Cragwing, knowing she was in danger. He hadn’t judged Jinny for her incompetence and weakness, and had listened patiently when she vented her feelings. He had done everything right. This was just a slipup, even if it was a pretty big one. Everyone messed up every now and then. That was why she forgave him.

“But I still don’t understand why she feels so angry about it,” she said.

“Because I never used to be like that to her. When we first met I saved her from a pack of Wolfbeasts,” Akorri explained. “I was nicer back then. Then somewhere down the line, I got sick of the way I was living. You know I actually lived underground?” He smiled bitterly. “Didn’t have a proper house or anything. I stayed holed up down there, literally, for years, only coming out to steal food or useless crap I didn’t even need. I still do that sometimes; steal when I don’t need to. Pretty disgusting, right?”

Jinny looked away as she listened, unable to meet Akorri’s eyes. He was being brutally honest about himself, and she didn’t know if she was more uncomfortable or sympathetic.

“That way of life takes a toll on you. It didn’t help that I was living with some pretty bad guilt that I don’t want to go into now. So I just became bitter. An asshole.” Akorri sighed again. “So when I saw Lae again, I didn’t have the energy to be nice. It was just easier being a jerk. She was confused and hurt, probably expecting me to be like how I was when we first met. That was the start, and the main reason for why she hates me now. Then when we got here, I kind of started feeling good again. She thought I was coming round to how I used to be. I thought so too. And then Lorelei came along and screwed everything up.”

Jinny wanted to leave. Akorri was being too honest, too intense, so unlike the dependable person she knew. But she continued listening, because she wanted to know more, and she wanted to help.

“So Lae feels like I betrayed her because I’m exactly the kind of scumbag she hoped I wasn’t,” Akorri said.

“Oh...”

Akorri didn’t move. Jinny didn’t move. There was no sound at all.

Some minutes might have passed; Jinny couldn’t tell. Every time she looked at Akorri, her heart would drop just a little lower. To think he had been living this way for so long. He hadn’t seemed unhappy. Not until now.

Jinny knew she had to do something. The way he looked, he would stay trapped in this room forever. She had to help him.

“We should probably meet up with Laerya,” she said quietly.

He didn’t respond.

“Or maybe we should wait until she’s cooled down...”

Nothing.

“Or perhaps... we should.. um....”

Silence.

“Akorri!”

She cried out. She hadn’t meant to. Or at least, she hadn’t meant to sound so hurt. But it did hurt. Akorri had never ignored her before, not like some of the Greengladers did. Deep down she knew he was doing this because he just didn’t have the energy to face up to her, but it pained her all the same.

“I’m not gonna move,” he murmured.

Jinny looked down, fighting back tears. She couldn’t face seeing Akorri so despondent. She barely noticed the knock on the door, and before she could even think of responding to it, the door opened. Katarina stepped in, her bright orange tunic feeling strangely out of place in this emotionally dark atmosphere. Jinny found comfort in it. Katarina had been nice to her when they met. Maybe she could help...?

“I am really sorry for intruding,” she said, closing the door gently behind her, “but I heard a loud noise, and Laerya rushed past me before I could ask what was going on... and then I heard you cry out...”

Despite everything, Jinny’s cheeks lit up in embarrassment. “Sorry,” she said.

Katarina shook her head and sat down on the chair by the desk, looking carefully at Jinny and Akorri. “Has something happened?” she asked.

Jinny wasn’t sure how much she should say. Even though she had only just met Katarina, she felt something comforting about her. She was trustworthy.

“Akorri?” Katarina prompted. “You don’t look like you are feeling very well. Are you sick?”

He only gave a small shrug in response.

“Do you want me to bring you some tea?” Katarina tried asking. “Or some food?”

“No,” he muttered.

The squirrel girl looked to Jinny, her brown eyes wide with concern. “What happened?”

Jinny didn’t really want to speak for Akorri. It felt wrong somehow. It was his place to tell Katarina.

So he did. “I screwed up,” he said. And then he told her everything.

Jinny watched Katarina’s face for her reactions, but her expression never shifted from gentle concern. Not even when Akorri admitted to lying about Vacerus. She only listened patiently, and did not speak until he had finished.

“You know what you must do now, right?” she asked quietly.

Akorri didn’t reply.

“You know you have to fix this,” she said.

“There’s no point. I’m done for anyway.”

At this, Katarina’s eyes narrowed just a little. “There is a point. Laerya probably feels terrible now as well. You must go to her and make her feel better.”

“What?”

“If she won’t let you apologise to her, you must confront Lorelei with her. Make her see that you are not, as you call it, a scumbag.”

“But I am.” Akorri finally looked up again. “I’m a coward. I can’t even face up to her now. I can’t go near Lorelei either, because I’ll be in danger. She’ll know what I did, and...”

“You were in danger when you saved Laerya the first time,” Jinny pointed out. “And you ran into danger to help me.”

Akorri’s ears twitched. He couldn’t think of anything to say.

“Akorri.” Katarina walked up to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. “You may think yourself worthless and pathetic, and won’t believe us if we tell you otherwise, but there is a way to stop it.”

Akorri stayed quiet.

“You know what will happen if you do nothing now, and I know you don’t really want that.”

Jinny saw him wince.

“It’s your choice in the end, Akorri.” Katarina sighed, stepping away. “Neither I nor Jinny can make it for you. But we will be there to help, should you need it.”

Jinny found herself nodding. She was going to help Akorri confront Lorelei, no matter how much he refused to do it. She was determined.

He bit his lip, shutting his eyes tight. “Damn it,” he hissed. “Screw this...”

Katarina looked at him patiently, saying nothing.

“I’m scared.”

Jinny’s stomach tightened. She watched as Akorri curled up, shaking, his tail bristling of its own accord. He was breathing rapidly, his head buried in his arms.

“I know.” Katarina bent down, giving the trembling boy a gentle hug. “I know. But we will be there as well, and we will stop Lorelei from harming you. It will be okay.”

Akorri tried to say something, but choked.

“It will be okay,” Katarina repeated soothingly.

As Jinny watched, she felt something stir in her heart. Her mother used to talk to her like this when she was scared, back when she was a child. Before she became a disappointment.

Katarina stayed like that until Akorri’s trembling ceased, and his breathing slowed. He slowly uncurled herself and she let go of him, giving his head a pat and smiling.

“I know I have to go,” he said, his voice hoarse. “I know. I can’t run away from things anymore.” He sighed deeply. “But I don’t want to drag the two of you into it. It’s bad enough Laerya is involved.”

“Is Lorelei really that dangerous?” Jinny asked.

“Yes. She’s probably even worse than I think she is,” Akorri said. “You two have done enough. I should go find Lae and stop her...”

“If she is as you say, you will need my help,” Katarina insisted. “I can’t let you go to Lorelei by yourself.”

Akorri rubbed his eyes. “Thank you,” he said, sighing in defeat. “But Jinny, you don’t have to come. You’ve got a lot to deal with as it is.”

Jinny figured he was talking about her magic. Indeed, that was a lot to deal with. Just trying to use it was still very difficult. Nevertheless, she could not back away from Akorri now. He had done so much for her, even if he didn’t realise it. She had to help him in return. Even if the thought of confronting Lorelei terrified her.

“I’ll go with you,” she said firmly.

Akorri stared at her. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Then...” He stood up from the bed, letting out one last sigh. “Then I guess we have to go.”

-

“Lorelei!”

Laerya found her in the forest, not far from Greenglade. Yuli was nowhere to be found. The blue Feln looked a little different this time. She was dressed differently today, her purple dress gone in favour of something heavier, shining in the light. With a start, Laerya realised it was armour.

She turned once she heard her name. “Oh, it’s you.”

“I know what you did.” Laerya glared at her, rage at Akorri’s betrayal brimming in her chest. “I know you dug up Vacerus’s corpse.”

Lorelei stared at her.

Laerya tried again for a reaction. “You gonna deny it?”

“Akorri told you, didn’t he?”

Laerya froze. Somehow, she felt she had just done something terribly wrong.

“I knew that Rogue couldn’t keep a secret.” Lorelei narrowed her eyes. “He always did seem like a traitor.”

Laerya’s blood froze. She should not have said anything.

“Well.” Lorelei sighed. “What’s done is done.” She looked at Laerya.

She shivered. “But why would you dig up his bones?”

“Oh? So you don’t know who I am?” Lorelei smiled slowly. “That’s good, at least. The Red Rogue probably has no idea who I am either, but it should not take him too long to put the pieces together. He is quite smart, you know.”

“But why would you do it?” Laerya pressed. Was she supposed to know who Lorelei was? There was something in the back of her mind, but no matter how hard she reached for it, she couldn’t figure it out. Lorelei was familiar for some reason. But why?

“Oh, I didn’t dig up his bones.” Lorelei’s smile turned sinister. “He dug himself out.”

Laerya stared. “... What?”

Lorelei simply continued to smile at her, causing her to shiver. This was not like the same woman who had encouraged her to continue practising magic, the same one who insulted Jinny, but ultimately forced her to face her fears. Except this was her. This was Lorelei, and somehow she had caused Vacerus to awaken.

Lae couldn’t believe it. “How did you...?”

“Enough of this.” Lorelei’s smile vanished. “I can’t have you around now, or you’ll just get in my way. I don’t want to kill you, so...”

Before Laerya could do anything, her vision turned black. She couldn’t see anything, feel anything, hear anything. She tried to move, but she couldn’t even feel that. It was as if her limbs were no longer a part of her. She tried to cry out. Nothing.

And then she fainted.