Imago Ch10: The Threshold (Patreon)

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Even after all these months, the attic is relatively unchanged. 

Clothes still hang on their dividing line, now a convenient storage space rather than a privacy screen. The vanity is still cluttered with bottles, and the Songs have been carefully packed away and hidden.The aspirational posters of mid-century movie stars still dot the walls between the exposed beams. Crabs still make their little pilgrimages to and fro.   

As though she hasn’t been here.
As though she’d never been.

L hefts her travel bag, a tough, light little bundle of green linen and buttons. Even after a day of packing, it’s still only half full. She’d agonised over everything, debating with herself over whether Lyra would bring it.

The answer was usually 'no'.

"I’ll only be away for a few days." She announces to the room, a quiet steadiness in her voice.

Something rattles in the vanity; Neith II, halfway out of a loose drawer. She’s grown a bit larger, frontways and side, and she only just fits in the cabinetry.  

L extricates the plump creature with a smile. Neith chirrups and tries to slither up L's sleeve, only to let out an annoyed squeak as she's plucked up and settled back onto the bed. 

"Sorry, Nibblemonster. Not this time. You've got to stay here and look after Ian, okay?" 

The alp-luachra makes a sound like a deflating balloon. L snorts. "Don't give me that. I know you two get on. Just don't beg for too many crisps or Mads will put you on a diet!"

Neith II's eye crinkles in a scowl, and she wriggles on the bed, pushing the blankets into a little nest. L smiles wistfully.

"I'll miss you." 

There’s a second, half-hearted squeak from inside the nest.

Her attention is drawn to the familiar thump of the hatch opening, and L turns to see Madeline pulling herself into the room. She lets the hatch slam down again, just as a hand reaches up to follow her. Someone gasps, and after a moment of fumbling, a rumpled-looking Astraea pushes her way into the room.  She puffs out her cheeks and gives Madeline an injured look, but the brownie ignores her in favour of plucking the pack off of L’s shoulder. 

“Is this all you's takin’?” The brownie inquires. “Skint, are we? " 

"Lyra travels light,” L shrugs, “so I travel light.”

"H-her material needs will be provided for, these are just comfort items.” Astraea climbs the rest of the way into the room. “K-keeping in mind that anything she brings may be confiscated or gone through." 

"A lovely thought.” L grins nervously.

“I say yer both mad.” Madeline snorts. Astraea breathes in slowly, deliberately calming herself. 

“Do you have everything?”

“Probably not.”  L holds out her arms, looking down at the fluttering white garment she's fastened around herself.  She still isn't quite comfortable with how much it exposes, but it was one of the less-revealing options they’d found.  “Am I wearing this right?”  

Astraea’s hands dance over the outfit, tugging a little here, adjusting a little there. One loop that had been digging into her arm slips into place. It should make her nervous, given their history, but Astraea seems entirely focused on making sure everything fits right. L can feel the warmth of her hand through the thin cloth as she tugs one last band into place before stepping back. 

“There.” She says, smiling to herself. “You’re perfect.”

“Thanks, ‘Straea.”  L says, fervent sincerity in her voice. “Don’t want this thing falling off.” 

Astraea stifles a laugh, her cheeks brightening, then gives L a curious look.

“You’re not wearing your glamour yet…?”

L hesitates, glances at the far side of her vanity. She’s left the choker and its key in front of the mirror, waiting for her. Astraea sidles up next to her and takes her hand, looking under her hair.  

“... having second thoughts?”

“I… don’t know. I don’t think so, it’s just…” L drifts away to the vanity, picking up the necklace and holding it between her hands. It feels heavier than it should. She can’t stop looking at the lock.  “It feels so final.”

Astraea clasps her hands in front of her.  "I-I’ve been thinking, it might be best to delay a few days. There’s things we should go over. Places in the city, etiquette, people you should know - “ 

"If we don’t go now, we’re going to keep finding reasons not to. You’ve gone over everything half a dozen times. Astraea, I’m ready." 

Astraea says in a small voice. “I just…want you to be prepared." 

“And I am.”  L says, and presses the glamour into Astraea’s hands.  “Thanks to you.”

Astraea offers her a queasy smile in reply, holding the enchanted choker close. L takes one last look at the room, that strange mixture of mundanity and magic. The floorboards firmly under her feet. The soft scuttle of crabs.

She really is going to miss this place.

Stooping down, L hops through the open hatch onto the ladder.  "We’ll just have to trust our luck and hope for the best.” She smiles up at Astraea. “Just like in a proper fairy tale."

"Oi! You's forgetting yer bag, I- '' Madeline starts, grabbing the satchel in her arms. She lets out a sudden, startled yelp, nearly dropping it. L’s head shoots back up through the hatch.  

"Mads?! What is it?" 

Madeline scowls, blocking L’s view of the pack as she stares at a wriggling side pocket. A tiny orange eye glares back out at her, giving a slow, very deliberate wink. 

“Madeline?”

Madeline stares for a moment or two longer, then winks back.  "Nuffin! One of the scuttlers gave me a fright, ‘s all." She grins, giving the satchel a friendly pat before turning to pass it down to L.  

“Careful with the bag, ‘at’s precious cargo.”

L rolls her eyes. “Thanks, Mads.” She hefts the satchel over her shoulder, waving her antennae toward Astraea. “Coming?” 

Astraea jumps, nearly dropping the glamour. “Sorry. I’m just-” 

She looks back at the little silver circlet, a faraway look creeping into her eyes. A dull spike of guilt prods at L’s mind, even as she wonders if she’d worn the same expression a few moments ago. She clears her throat.  "I…know this isn't what you wanted."

Astraea shakes her head. "I wanted to help Lyra. This is helping her, so-"  

She trails off, then sucks in a breath and marches toward the ladder, so quickly that L has to flutter down so they don’t collide. Astraea doesn’t slow down, and her foot snags on the last step. Before she can overbalance, L’s arm shoots out to steady her.  Astraea glances up, apologetically.   "Th-thanks, L." 

“No problem.  We’re looking after each other.” L squeezes her arm. “Yeah?”

Astraea bites at her lower lip, then nods.
“Yeah.” 





The threshold between The Market and the Spectral Suites has been cordoned off - not by barriers or posts, but by a large semicircle of cats, sitting still and silent except for wandering eyes and twitching tails. The sight has attracted a number of curious onlookers on both sides - vendors and buyers, the odd bored goblin or troll, a gaggle of pixies, and even the nymph shopkeeper who sold L her dress.

Ian sits at the bottom of the stairs, keeping a wary eye on the closest cats. A bit behind, Neith perches atop an overturned crate. She tosses and catches a small smooth stone she’d pried from the pathway, idly eying the nearby cloud of pixies.

"Bet I can knock that purple one out of the air.” 

“The one picking its teeth at us?” Ian asks, leaning back on his elbows. Neith scowls. 

“While he still has them. Care to place a wager?" 

“Innit taking out strangers that got us into all this?”

Neith sends the rock skipping across the cobbles, watching the way it bounces, coming to a halt under the gaze of a half-interested cat. "Don’t fret, licorice bit. Just a maiden's wish." 

Ian gives her a sidelong glance. 

"Got a question for you while you’re chatty, Neith. I know why I'm here, but I can't believe that you're staying around as collateral. That dryad must be paying you a small fortune." 

Neith shakes her head.

"Just my asking price." 

Ian pushes himself up and turns to look at her, the question in his eyes lingering unspoken. She shrugs. 

"Lady Astraea…she isn’t one to haggle. This isn't her world. She needs someone sanding the sharp edges."

Ian whistles up at the cavernous ceiling.  “An’ here I thought I was talking to a vampire.”

“Disappointed?”

Ian picks up a rock and skips it near hers, aiming for where it lands. It comes up a few paces short. "I just thought your whole deal was 'devil's bargain’." 

Neith glances at him, then fumbles in her pocket. "Maybe I've seen enough of those.”  She plucks out a lollipop. “Maybe I wanted something different."

"Like taking lives?" Ian offers. There’s a sharpness to the words, but they fall flat under the rows of watchful eyes.  

"Like doing as I please." She rocks back on her crate.  "And not as they say I should."

“‘As you please’, huh?" Ian crosses his arms. “... leannan sidhe means 'fairy lover', yeah? You inspire people, but drive ‘em mad. Isn't that how it goes?"

"That's what they say.”  She leans forward, her head tilting to the side. “Curious, gumdrop?"

He shrugs, then nods.

“Devil’s bargain, that’s what they call it.  A false dream that plays on the vices of our victims.”  She circles the lollypop in her hand like a baton. “No one consider that maybe we actually want to see that dream come true. That passion, with or without our help, is always a fire that consumes. That maybe the leannan sidhe’s role is to focus and direct that destruction into something beautiful, before the flames claim their prize.”

She smiles over at Ian.  “We have it too, that fire.”

“A passion?”

She nods.

“Like what?”  Ian raises an eyebrow, a half smirk on his face.  “Free verse poetry?”

Neith shakes her head, a little snort of laughter bubbles out of her. Ian smiles. It's nice seeing this side of her.

Then her eyes narrow.  

“But what people don’t say is that a devil’s bargain can cut both ways. Everyone assumes the devil in question is the leannan sidhe, but…it doesn’t have to be.  Sometimes our own rules turn against us.  As dearest lolly found out.” 

She unwraps the candy and tucks it into her cheek. “I wonder…do you think she made Harcourt suffer? Before the end?”  She crunches down on the candy. A faint turquoise sparkle gleams in her bloodshot eyes.

"You mean-" Ian starts, instinctively glancing to Neith's wrist.

Neith cocks an eyebrow, then holds it up, waggling her unmarked arm. "Different bargains. Different rules. Let it lie, Ian. It's long past."

"... sorry, Neith. I had no idea."  Ian leans back, tossing another stone. This one gets a bit closer to the mark.  "Guess we all have our sad stories."

"Oh, don’t bother with pity, gumdrop. I’ve found new bargains.” Neith looks up, the turquoise expanding and contracting, seeping into her veins and setting them aglow. “And these suit me better. Drawbacks and all." 

Neith's second stone skips off of his, sending them both skittering into the dark. They sit there for a while, in the cavernous air, tasting the moment.

"Bring any of this up to the others and I'll toss you straight off the Spectral Suites." She says, cheerfully.

"Now who’s playing the temptress." He says, grinning back.

A little colour plays at her cheeks, and she goes back to her lookout.

A ripple in the crowd catches their attention, and moments later, the ring of cats parts to admit L, Madeline, and Astraea. Mads is practically attached to L's right hip, with Astraea at her left. 

Ian stands a bit too quickly, and waves.

“Ian!”  L calls out, and helps Madeline past the ring of cats, where she can finally, gratefully, split away.  As soon as they’re clear, L runs over and leaps into Ian’s arms. The two spin about in a circle, laughing, before he sets her back on her feet.  

"Oh look at you!”

“I know!”  She giggles nervously, holding out the dress.  “I can’t believe I”ll be wearing this every day.”

“Sorry I’ll be missin’ it.”

“Maybe when I get back, I’ll stay in fashion for a few days.”  She says, grinning bashfully.  “You know, to re-acclimate.”

“Yeah?” Ian asks, a little too urgently. L’s face goes scarlet. She can’t bring herself to meet his eyes…or stop grinning.

“How are we feelin’?"

She goes quiet, considering the question, coming down from her giddiness.  Nervous would be an honest answer. So would excited. Or even wistful. But none of that could sum up everything bubbling inside her. 

"Ready." She says, honestly. 

“Don't muck it up or I'll haunt you, understand?"  Neith says, standing and stretching.

“I’ll put you in a bottle. Thanks, Neith. Oh, and…”  L looks around.   “Where’s Trystan?   I thought he was going to be here.”

“Something came up.” Ian says, apologetically.  “Thought he’d be meeting us, but he had to double back, something about a shipment from the apothecary district he forgot about -”  

“Bollocks. He’ll be keepin’ Hedrick from doin’ anything stupid.”  Madeline rolls her eyes.  “‘at goblin’s been pissed drunk since he got the word. Probably just doesn’t want you worried.”

“M-maybe that’s for the best, then.” L says. The last thing she needs is more theatrics.

"Lady Astraea." Neith starts, a brittle softness in her voice as she crosses to her.   Astraea looks up to the taller woman, a bit of curiosity in her eyes. Neith slows to a stop, opens her mouth to speak.  Struggling for the words.

“Neith?”

“You…”  Neith starts.  But after a bit, she just shakes her head and laughs;  a little helpless noise, and stuffs her hands in her jacket pockets. "...you know what you're doing. That's your Grove, you know how it works there."

Astraea looks up at Neith, a bittersweet smile on her face. "Thank you for putting up with all my silly questions. I don't know what I would've done without you." 

"Nothing silly about it, mistress. It's what you hired me for.”

Astraea flutters her eyelashes, then stands a little taller and kisses Neith on the cheek. Neith looks shocked, stepping away and touching her cheek. The look of surprise vanishes in a toothy smile as she ducks under her hat, faint streaks of turquoise light trails behind her. 

“S-See you when you get back." Neith says.

"Before seven days are over." L says clearly. She stands a half-step in front of Ian, her wing partially shielding him from view. L glances back over her shoulder, her gaze softening. "I promise."

"It'll be over in a blink." Ian agrees. "And then we can pick up where we left off, yeah?"

Something dances in L's eyes. "I'll make it as quick as I can."

"...I'm not interrupting, am I?"

Astraea asks tentatively. Ian glances down, his expression wavering. 

"Not at all, 'Straea…a-actually, I -" 

With a sudden lurch, he scoops Astraea and L into a big hug. Astraea gives a half-shout of surprise, cut by L’s laughter.   After a moment, L wraps her wings around the both of them.   

"Take care of each other over there, yeah?” Ian crackles. “You're all each other's got."

"We will. Every step of the way."

Astraea softens, and pulls in close. "Thanks, Ian."

They hold each other, and the bubbling anxiety in L’s chest subsides until all that remains is warmth.  Until Ian finally releases them and steps away. 

Madeline takes his place almost immediately, grinning and shoving a bag of crisps into L's hands. 

"For the road."  The brownie grins impishly.

L looks at her, confused, then laughs and stows the gift in her bag.  "Th-thanks, Mads. I'm really…I...someday, I’m going to repay you.”

She lifts her arms, smiling, then falters and looks away awkwardly.  Madeline snorts derisively. 

"Oh come off it, nymph girl." She grins, pulling her in for a tight hug. "Be sure you's stir up all kinds of trouble!"

"I will not." L grins back.

"Says you." Madeline pauses.  An uncharacteristic apprehension entering the tone of her voice. "And when you's get back, you'll help me with that thing we talked about? That hooman thing?"

"Of course I will.”  L draws back.  “We'll make it everything it should be."

Madeline gives her hands a squeeze of acknowledgement, then, as if remembering herself, brusquely pulls away and tucks in next to Ian. 

“L, it’s time.”  Astraea says quietly.

L swallows and turns to Astraea.  She’s holding the silver choker open and waiting. L knows that Madeline would not approve of her doing this out in the open, but it matters more that she’s able to say goodbye on her terms. She steps towards Astraea, lowering her head, attended by a procession of cats and an audience of strangers.

Astraea steps towards her and, gently, slides the choker around her neck. There’s a soft hum of magic, and a weight that’s heavier than a thin band of silver can account for.  L feels the metal snap around her throat, the lock’s mechanism clicking as Astraea turns the key.

The glamour rolls over her, her form rippling and shifting as the magic takes hold. Her skin prickles with downy hair, turning pale and ghostly. Limbs twist forth, easing out from within her garments.  Her ears grow longer and pointed, and her eyes darken to midnight. Everything is suddenly sharper, more severe and deadly, both within and without. Until whoever she was vanishes beneath the disguise.   

Leaving only Lyra, standing on the Market's street, her eyes glow with sudden, wild light.

Astraea's eyes widen, and her grip tightens on L's arm.

"... it's going to be an adjustment for the both of us, I think.”  L says, a hint of apology in Lyra’s chiming voice. Astraea nods. 

“Now... my turn." Astraea says, turning and walking up the staircase to the portal that normally opens to the Spectral Suites: a stone archway with weathered, softly glowing carvings. The cats sit upright at attention, staring with malevolent interest.

Astraea closes her eyes.

Her glow intensifies. Spilling out of the confines of her form, she grows taller and more languid. Her intensity continues to climb until all her details are lost...

...and all that remains is a silhouette of moving light.

The silhouette reaches a hand forward, the light condensing in the air at the portal's center. After a moment the light shoots out out like waves in an ocean, crashing and waving with snap and crackle, roiling over it until the entire portal boils with the unfettered aether.

And then, with a ringing voice that echoes through the market, Astraea says these words: 

"In nomine Xyliae, a quadam filiarum suarum dicta, peto ut velum huius mundi rumpat et ducat ad Gwyllium

silvam noctis
aeternae. " 

Each word hits like a hammer strike, causing reality to shake, as they stamp themselves around the perimeter of the circle. It pulls the energy into order, stabilising the wild and easing the storm, until all that remains is a soundless tone, more felt than heard; and a steady reflectionless mirror of intense white light.

Astraea pulls her arm away, and as the connection to the portal breaks the aether coursing out of her snaps like a lightning strike, sending her stumbling. L catches her before she can fall. Already diminishing and dwindling into her mundane form, the air above Astraea shimmering, as if she's too hot to touch. But when L helps her to her feet, her skin is only faintly warm.

"Are you okay?! Was it supposed to do that?"

Astraea nods, breathing hard, her eyes unfocused and her skin bright with sweat. “W-when we cross to the other side... I'll be able to recover my strength."

L nods, shifting to take more of her weight. "Then let's not keep you waiting." 

Astraea gestures to the portal. "Th... the way is open. All w-we have to do is walk through. Then… Gwyllium.”

L takes a deep breath, turning to look over her shoulder, taking in the faces. A crowd of curious onlookers. Rows of cats, ominously silent and watchful. Neith's hard-edged stare and Madeline's confident smile.

And Ian. The ease in his stance, the trust in his eyes.

Ian most of all. 

"See you soon." She says, and turns away. The golden glow where the door had been flares, washing out her vision, sending crackling sensations down her antennae. 

Astraea at her side, L starts forward. 
And steps through the light.

A lot of farewells to be said in this chapter, and a lot of quiet conversations between people finally opening up. Let’s hope they all see each other again soon! Anyone reading this with a cat probably knows a thing or two about their extremely accurate internal clocks…

Of course, not everyone’s quite as far away as L assumes :3 It’s easier to stow away when you can fit in a side pocket. 

That’s all for this week! Our next chapter will be out Friday, July 5th! Please join us as we take our first steps beyond the portal, and L finally ventures into the world that’s changed so much of her life. 

- Hark 




Some quick Rin notes!

Leave a comment requesting what things you'd like to see illustrated from this chapter below.

 ALSO, I'm opening up to the idea of drawing things OUTSIDE of current chapter illustrations. So say, if you wanted to see say... an illustration of when Neith was tied up by the Morgans WAY BACK at the start of Chrysalis, you can request that too :3

ADDITIONALLY, we tend to have an informal reading party in the backstage channel over on the Heartworks Discord after every chapter release. So if you want to pop in and join the fun, we welcome you to do so! We love hearing from readers

... and thanks for stopping by!