Set some time after the third book…. wherever it fits into the story I guess.
Terrifying Times
–––Night; Lyric–––
I'm about to scream, but I can't. If I do, he'll see me and I don't want that. It's very dark, but I can still see clearly. All I really see is the blood that's welling up from the throne and that half distorted shadow person that I can see so well. That dark fist rises, slowly, then suddenly clenches.
I wake with my hands over my mouth, that's the second time tonight. I'm not going to sleep like this. I'm too frightened.
I slide out of my bed and grab my slippers, then I double check that they match my nightclothes and the dressing gown that I'm about sliding on. I ease out of my room and into the hallway and then to the next door over from mine.
Lute's asleep, but the great thing about him is that he doesn't ask anything when the noise from the door make him open an eye at me. He just rolls over to the far side of the bed and lifts up the edge of the covers. I'd ask him to come back to my room if he still fit in my bed. I start to pull off the robe and the slippers.
"Hurry up, the cold is coming in." Such a grouch, although I guess I did wake him at 2 in the morning. I slide into bed next to him, and tuck the covers back down. He pulls me in close to him.
–––Next morning; Gerald–––
We're eating breakfast at the big table; it's pretty odd for all of us to be here and well, we're not. Lute and Lyric are still up and Stevane's no doubt still asleep, but all in the same house has to count for something, right?
"He's gone!" Stevane rushes in. I guess she wasn't still a sleep, shock.
"Who?" That was Dad, who can't be bothered to get upset without a good cause, not when there's bacon in front of him.
"Lyric. I went to ask him which shoes go with this top and he wasn't in his room. The bed's a mess and the closets are open and he hasn't been there for a long time! The room was way cold, and Lyric hates the cold!"
"Did you check Lute's room? They are twins, you know."
Stevene blinked at him, then practically ran out of the room for the stairs. Dad just goes back to his bacon.
A little while later, Stevane comes back in, fully dressed and flops into chair. "Lutes usually the first one up so I didn't think he'd be in his room, he's hardly ever there." She's actually whining, I'm impressed; Lyric being missing must have really upset her.
"So, he was there?" Dad's as calm as ever, sitting back in his chair.
Gerude smirked over at her and said "So, I guess we know that Stevens worst fear is los~ing Lyr~ic."
She glared at him, "My worst fear is losing my family, not just Lyric, and it should be yours, too!" I was fully expecting his eyebrows to start smoking any second now.
–––Lute's Room; Lyric–––
Stevie just rushed in like Nul was chasing her. Uhg, Nul. I shudder a little a curl closer into Lute's side. He's warm, and strong, and can just shadow me away to some safe place. Like his bed, tucked under his chin, with Daddy just downstairs.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No."
"Will you?" He's always so gentle with me, but he doesn't give me an inch.
"Eventually. What did you do this last decade or so?" There. Blatant change of subject. He won't ask anymore right now.
Lute rolls over me a little, to look me in the eye, he's smiling a little bit. "Can you keep a secret?"
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