Chrysalis Ch3: The Light (pt2) (Patreon)

<- previous

Neith immediately pushes her way past him, knocking him into the partially open door in her haste.  Recovering, he watches her rush ahead but tarries a moment to take in the space.  The faint tug of hopelessness displaced by a prickle of interest.

It certainly looks the part of an expensive hotel room - or, more accurately, an expensive hotel suite. The main floor is spacious, lavishly furnished with pristine white couches, armchairs, and a rough hewn mahogany table. A wide set of double doors opens into the master bedroom, and a spiral staircase leads up to a second floor loft. The ceiling vaults overhead, at least two stories… maybe three, and the outer wall has twin enormous panes of tinted glass with a commanding view of a balcony and beyond it, the city far below.  That’s where Neith is heading, shouldering open the door.   There's a gusty breeze of city air that blows in as she does, but she doesn’t pause, heading straight for a sunken pool of clear water set in the very center of the balcony.

Without knowing quite what to do with himself, Lloyd follows. The breeze tugs at him and makes his wings ripple as he steps out into the open air, his hair tousled in the draft.   He gives the edge of the balcony a speculative glance.   Beyond the golden railing the drop is dizzying.

It might be the same distance as it was to the lobby, but outside in the cool wind, seeing the cars and lights spread out below him, it feels completely different.

Lloyd steps back from the edge, shuddering.  His wings flutter behind him, but he dismisses the idea even faster than he had inside the hotel, unable to shake the image of what would happen if he couldn’t manage his wings.

He’s distracted from the thought by a quiet splash and a faint, musical hum. Just ahead of him Neith wades up to her hips in the pool, the frailer woman tucked safely in her arms. As far as he can tell the water itself is the source of the melodic resonance, reacting to the presence of the two women. As Astraea’s foot brushes the surface, the water’s hum shifts into flowing music, and it emits a brilliant burst of golden-white light.

The woman’s hair turns the same color, and she lets out a soft sigh. Lloyd can see her starting to breathe a little more easily. After a moment, Neith sets her down on the steps as the light fades to a steady glow, pulsing in time with the music.

After making sure Astraea is comfortable, Neith sits heavily on the pool ledge and rests her elbows on her knees.

"You daft little fool."  She huffs, shaking her head with a smile.
Lloyd stares, mesmerized by the light playing over his face.

"What's she doing?"

Neith turns her head, smirking over her shoulder.
“That’s right.   You have a series of questions, and I do believe I promised some answers.”  

She lifts her hand and holds up her index finger.

"Unseelie are Fae that hunt other Fae for profit. Or thrill. Either-or, really.   I see no reason not to do both."

Then a second finger goes up.

"Where the elevator took us is the Verdant Penthouse, one of several exclusive lodgings at the Spectral Suites."

Lloyd folds his arms, listening to her as she goes through the list, Neith continuing to three and four.

"No, I did not drug you. Lady Astraea is restoring her source. This water has come all the way from her court springs in the Ebony Wilds for that express purpose."

She looks at her thumb, regarding it for a moment.

"As for what you are... well…
I'm afraid that's something that only you know, lolly."

Lloyd snorts. She has to be doing this on purpose.  He glances over at Astraea, turning over everything he’s just been told, summarizing it internally and externally.

"So…
miss fairy big shot, Astraea...
handed you a bag of money to go and bring someone with moth wings to a fancy exclusive penthouse dungeon.”

“Thanks for filling me in.
You're very helpful" He mutters sarcastically.

He glances over his shoulder to the door behind him, leading back to the Hotel lobby. Not seriously considering making a break for it, but wanting to keep it as an option.

"So what's next on the list? Are there wishes involved? Should I be leaving you a bowl of cream on the hearth?"

"I wouldn’t complain if you did."   She shrugs. Lloyd’s wings snap irritably. He knows losing his temper isn’t going to help matters, but he’s feeling so overwhelmed, so dizzyingly confused, that he’s not sure he cares.

"Alright then, well in that case I’ll be on my way to pick some up from the market-”

Something splashes, and both of them turn their attention back to the pool. Astraea’s eyelids are fluttering, and she’s sitting up a little straighter. Her eyes have gone the same color as her hair. If anything, the glow is more intense.

Lloyd swallows, his throat suddenly dry, his anger forgotten.

Astraea...even before she had passed out, she hadn’t seemed all there.
Maybe she doesn’t even know how he got in that cage?
He might be able to reason with her.

And she’s certainly easier to talk to than -

“N...neith?”

Astraea puts a hand on the lip of the pool, steadying herself as she looks at the taller woman. Neith nods encouragingly, then points. It takes a moment for Astraea to make sense of the gesture. Slowly, she turns and faces Lloyd, looking him up and down. He gives her a wary smile and lifts his hand in a careful greeting.

“You’re here…!  I… wasn’t sure if that was a dream.    I’m sorry for what happened I… you know I’m not supposed to use my power outside the Wilds.   I have so many questions for you I-”  

She stops, squinting at Lloyd.  
“You’re… wait.    Is that… your glamour isn’t working at the moment, is it? You don’t have the shimmer… which means…”

Astraea’s eyes widen and she takes a quick step back, sloshing in the water.  Losing her footing, she falls backwards and her head disappears under the water surface. Lloyd and Neith both leap up in alarm, but before anyone can do anything she emerges, coughing and sputtering out an astonished question.

"You're a boy?”

Lloyd is momentarily confused, then begins to nod frantically as he realizes what she’s said, raising both of his hands again.

"Y-yes! YES!
Yes I am!

And...whoever you’re looking for isn’t, right?"

Water sloshes as Astraea wades through the pool, looking back and forth between Lloyd and Neith.

Had she actually been confused? The thought brings an embarrassed flush to Lloyd’s cheeks.  Regardless, maybe this could help him convince her to disentangle him from whatever business she was up to.  If she’s looking for some moth winged girl, then she’s not looking for Lloyd after all.

"Is this really her? Are you sure we didn't get the wrong person?"  Astraea asks.  Lloyd can hear the dismay in her voice and the pang of guilt twists his stomach in knots.

Neith stands up and stretches, using the gesture to nonchalantly grab Lloyd’s wing. His face goes red as she draws it open, and he feels it flicker in her grip.  

“A-ah! Stop that!“ He scowls, trying ineffectively to pull away.

Neith ignores him completely, instead tracing over his wing’s eye spot with the tip of her finger.

"She has the mark of your court."   She says, then leans in close. Lloyd’s free wing cringes against him as her cheek presses against his neck. She slides up against his face, inhaling through her nose while he tries to scrunch away.

Neith chuckles darkly.   "And she smells exactly like the dress you showed me.
Which is to say...delicious."

She finally lets go of Lloyd’s wing, and he pushes her back, his heart hammering in his chest. Neith smirks and stops a few inches away, tilting her head as she observes him. Lloyd snaps his wings closed and backs up.

"L-look, I don't know who you are or - or who you're looking for, but it's not me!" He holds up an open hand, trying to keep his fingers from trembling. Astraea’s slowly getting out of the pool, turning her head like she’s observing him. Her hair is still glowing. It’s hard for him to focus on anything else.

“A...um...L-lady?” Lloyd swallows. “Lady Astraea? Is that right?”

She smiles, stopping in front of him. That seems like a good sign. Lloyd smiles back, watching the water fall from her in tiny droplets. The light coming off of her turns each one into a tiny jewel. He can feel his words starting to slow, to disintegrate into their component syllables.

“I’m...sorry who...ever…”

Astraea’s hand brushes against his cheek. Lloyd draws in a shallow, startled breath. He can feel the light in her now, flowing out from her touch to suffuse his skin.

He’s completely unprepared when she kisses him.

“Hmnh!”

Lloyd freezes, shocked and unsure how to respond, that hazy radiance spreading through his entire body. His wings flick out, then thrum, humming gently behind him and sending a soft breeze around the two of them. Astraea’s breath hitches in his mouth, and her other hand comes up, gripping the side of his neck.

Before he knows what’s happening, she’s aggressively pushing forward, backing him up against a pillar. Her hands are everywhere, on his face, inside his jacket, leaving pinpricks of warmth wherever they touch. His head swims. Glowing silver-gold motes dance in his vision. The light washes over him.

It’s overwhelming.

It’s… It’s…
terrifying.

"Hmmngh! H-hmghh!"

Lloyd starts to struggle, gently at first, trying to push Astraea away.  He needs to break free so he can stop his spinning head. Just for a moment.  She growls softly and yanks him closer, her teeth on his lip. Lloyd inadvertently gasps against her mouth, his eyes widening, his ears ringing.

"G-ghhm - ggHMMF!"

And shoves.

It’s more forceful than he intends. Astraea stumbles back not angry, just...confused.

“W-what - what’s wrong, Ly - “

Her foot slips over the edge of the pool.  Neith lunges to grab her but it’s too late, and both women splash back into the water.

Lloyd stands in stunned silence, his wings flared out behind him and his market jacket askew. The world seems darker than it did a moment ago.
Colder.

Then all at once everything snaps back into focus.

He turns and scrambles into the hotel room, slamming the door shut behind him. Outside, the water churns as Neith explodes out of it, one hand furiously grabbing the stone edge, her eyes seething pools of crimson.

Lloyd fumbles at the door. There’s no latch. He grabs the closest chair and shoves it in the way, backing away until he bumps against the table. He risks a quick look; it’s supporting a selection of heavy ceramic bowls. He snatches up the closest one and turns, just in time to see Neith at the doorway.   She pushes, and he watches the chair bending, snapping, then skipping aside. And all that’s between him and her is space.

Lloyd raises his improvised weapon.
"S-stay away from me!"

Neith snorts dismissively, stepping over the chair remnants. Lloyd hurls the bowl and her hand flicks up lightning-fast, snatching it out of the air. She lets the moment hang, then drops the bowl delicately behind her, letting it shatter on the floor.

Lloyd scrabbles past the table, backing away as Neith’s mouth splits into a sharp-fanged smile.
"Naughty naughty, you spicy licorice bit."

Neith digs into her jacket pocket...then frowns. Digging further. Her expression goes almost blue with horror.

“No. No.
No No
nonono!“

When Neith’s hand comes out, it’s covered in crimson stains and half-dissolved granules of colored sugar. The mess drips between her fingers, forming little rivulets that hiss and spatter across the floor.

A nervous snicker bursts out of Lloyd’s mouth before he can stop himself.
Neith’s head snaps up, and his mouth clamps shut. Her eyes swirl into the pulsing, arterial red of a deep wound.

"... guess I'll need a little something to tide me over." She hisses, taking a threatening step toward him. Lloyd’s wings flicker, muscles tensing reflexively. He barely realizes what he’s doing before he does it.

Neith lunges. Lloyd jumps, his wings flaring, her fingertips just barely brushing past his leg as he’s carried overhead. They beat once, twice, then blur as they flap harder and harder, propelling him forward faster than he thought they could. Neith snarls in annoyance.

“You can’t be serious, you - hey!“

She ducks out of the way as Lloyd careens past her, knocking over a lamp. Lloyd bobs up and down crazily, flying in wide circles as he tries to maneuver. He’s only a few feet above the floor, threatening to crash into furniture with every movement. There’s no time to stop, no space to practice. He looks up just in time to see his own fast-approaching reflection in the oncoming window, overlaying Astraea’s horrified expression as she races back from the pool. His eyes widen -

THNK

- and Lloyd bounces off the thick glass,
crumpling to the floor in a heap.

The room spins...blurs...tilts. Above him, the ceiling recedes and stretches up, spiralling to impossible heights. Someone’s shouting something, a name, but he can’t quite hear it. Their voice is swallowed by a deep, tidal roar…

...and the room swirls away into the night.

+++++

When he wakes it all comes rushing in at once.

Pain, a rhythmic throb in his skull.  Distant and suppressed. Muted. Warmth against his cheek, chill air on his legs, his shoulders. Cypress and citrus in his nostrils, heady and pleasant after the cold stink of iron and copper tang of blood. Soft music. A song. Someone humming a hauntingly familiar tune.

Fingers brushing his hair. Caressing and soothing.

“Hnaaauuuh…”

Lloyd groans and shivers, somewhat surprised to realize that he’s actually waking up. He grits his teeth against an agonizing stab through his head and starts to sit up, forcing his eyes open.

“...a...gh…”

A soft hand on his cheek gently pushes him back down, electric tingling spreading out from the touch. As it rolls across his skin, the pain simply...drifts away.

“Shhh.” Astraea murmurs. Lloyd’s lying with his head in her lap, her hair spilling down over him. She smiles down, her eyes threatening to fill his world.

“You’re awake already?” She brushes his hair back, blinking slowly. His head buzzes from the contact. “Are you okay?”

Lloyd groans again, a little more fear in the sound. Suddenly, the nostalgic music takes on a sinister cast. He starts to sit up, fabric shifting around him - not the oversized hoodie, but -

He looks down, and his mouth goes dry. Lloyd’s sprawled out across a plush, blanketed mattress. His jacket is  gone… along with his shoes. And his pants. Instead he’s wearing a sleek, short dress. Deep ebony and soft gold fabric flares out like a second set of wings around his legs, his shoulders left uncovered to show the real ones. His feet are encased in dark heels.

A slim silver chain, no longer than a foot or two, stretches between delicate shackles around his ankles.

"Did..." Lloyd stops, looking nervously up at her as he gathers his panicked thoughts. "...did you dress me like this?"

“Just like we always did.  I loved picking out your outfits.” Astraea murmurs, her eyes half-closing. “This was one of our favorites... don’t you remember?”

Lloyd tries to scramble up, but a gentle push on his chest sends him dropping back to the bed, his head spinning.   “Or maybe…” Astraea starts, and all at once she’s on top of him, pinning his wrists over his head. She’s so frail, even more finely-boned than he is... and yet with her staring down at him like this, pushing her off seems utterly impossible.

“Does this jog your memory?” Astraea whispers, leaning closer. Lloyd tries to stammer something, and suddenly she’s holding his wrists with one hand, the other pressing down over his mouth. He can’t look away. He can’t even blink. The soft glow of her eyes burns right through him.

Astraea lets out a soft, slow breath, the scent of citrus intensifying…
And just as suddenly, she releases him.

Clambering back, she huddles against the headboard of the bed. Lloyd stares in confusion as she looks away, her shoulders trembling and her cheeks flushed.

“I’m...sorry, Lyra.” Astraea grips the blankets, looking down. “It’s hard to resist. You...”

She looks back up. Lloyd pulls himself up and back, crouching on the opposite end of the bed, hunching to try and cover up his outfit. He looks down just in time to avoid losing himself in her gaze again. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Astraea’s mouth quirk in a sad, knowing smile.

"You...don't remember any of it. Do you." She sighs. “I didn’t know. This would have been different if I had.”

"Lyra" Lloyd breathes out.  Something about the way the name sounds is...not familiar to Lloyd, not necessarily, but there’s something about it that tugs at his mind.

"Is that who you think I am?
My name's Lloyd."

"No.  I know."   Astraea says, shifting closer.  Lloyd tenses, ready to tumble off the bed and run, but there’s no threat in her tone. Just...quiet certainty.  
"You're not her... Or at least... not all of you. Not the parts that I want."

She reaches out and he flinches, the chain jingling, but when she touches his wing it’s light and gentle as a feather. Her finger traces over the delicate veins and scales.

"I don't understand.” Lloyd’s voice cracks, and he hunches down, his wings folding away from her hand. “I don’t understand!  You all keep a-acting like I should understand but I don’t. I'm Lloyd, I'm a boy.  You abducted me! Your psycho candy vampire th-threw me in a cage!"

There’s a moment of silence. Astraea starts to reach over, then lets her hand settle on the mattress. Finally, Lloyd coughs.

"So..." He looks down at the floor, determined not to get drawn into her glow again...or let her see the look on his face. "...s-so what are you going to do with me? Why'd you bring me here?"

Astraea slides off the mattress. She takes a few steps around until she's in front of Lloyd. He tries to spin away, but it’s too late.  Astraea kneels down, her eyes glowing softly. She lifts her hand, offering it to him.

"I will explain what I can.   Will you... is that something that will help you?"

Lloyd swallows, his hands staying in his lap. He can’t look away. It’s not washing over him like it had before, but the light is still commanding his attention. He lets out a weak chuckle.

"I mean...yeah."

Astraea reaches out and gently takes Lloyd's hand in hers. He shudders, the radiance starting to flow through him at their contact. Warm. Soft.
Intoxicating.

Astraea’s voice murmurs through the golden fog. Echoing as if from a great distance, though she’s right in front of him.

"Lyr... Lloyd. Listen to me, and try and understand. You've... done something. Fused yourself...with this human boy."

She goes quiet, looking down at his hand. Slowly, she massages his knuckles with her thumb.

"I don't know why you've done this. I don't know why you left me. I don't know why you..."
Her grip tightens, and her expression grows misty. She grits her teeth, trying to regain her composure.

"...b...but, I do know one thing..."

"...I want you to come home, Lyra. My flutterfly.
First consort of the Ebony Wilds."   


continue reading ->