Binding Circles

Title: Binding Circles

Part 12

Author: Shamise

~(*)~

The sound of fighting echoed among the layers of coral that circled the outer ring of the Muer’in capitol. Resident fish stayed safely in their own homes while the more carnivorous fish lurked around for scraps. Fights were not uncommon here, and the remains of the loser were always high up on the menu.

“Just die already!” someone screeched. A duo of lightly armored Muer’in lunged at a guarding creature. The creature they were attacking swiftly dodged their attack, just barely missing the swing of a lance. Hissing, he lashed out and caught the end of the spear, weary of the sharp point, and pulled on it. Using this leverage, he swung one attacker into the other, knocking them both off balance.

“Get out of my way!“ he growled menacingly, red eyes wild with anger. Wrapping a tentacle around a wrist when one got too close; he nearly crushed the bones before he was made to let go. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and his powerful muscles made him almost unstoppable. He knew that if he left these two alive that they would only prove more trouble for him; he would have to deal with them quickly.

It didn’t take long, really. All he had to do was twist one’s neck and choke the other. He felt no remorse for the now dead Muer’in, not after what they had done to his bonded. Glaring heatedly at the now dead creatures, he continued on his way to the city.

He would find Yuugi, and no one was going to get in his way.

~(*)~

The hallways of the palace were quiet into the noontime light. Occasionally, a servant would scuttle past, running an errand, or a noble would make his way for the council room. Glittering starfish inched along the pale gold walls, adding a surreal quality to the silent halls. Ritoceh had always wondered why these sights seemed too unbelievable to him, according to Dartz and Rebecca he had been living here for most of his life. It that was true, then why did everything seem so unfamiliar?

“Get back here, Ritoceh!”

Squeaking, Ritoceh dodged the charging Rebecca, just barely missing being crashed into. He frantically tried to kick his tail into gear (into ‘gear?’ What the heck was that supposed to mean!) to escape; yet the muscles froze at the sudden demand. No! Come on, work! With a squeak, he was grabbed by a fuming Rebecca and instantly dragged away.

“Aw, let me go!” he squirmed, vainly trying to get out of the female Muer’in’s grasp. “I’ve already completed my lessons today! I even meditated!”

Rebecca simply huffed and tugged him along again, ignoring his scattered protests. Ritoceh eventually stopped trying to get away. The female was still stronger than he was, and his motor skills were rudimentary at best. No chance for escape, not even for a second.

“Where are we going now?” Ritoceh asked, completely annoyed at his helplessness. During these past few days he had been able to master straight lines…but that was about it. Turning and stopping still eluded him.

“We’re going home.”

Home.

A gentle face, wrinkled with smiles and age, watched as a young boy no older than ten opened a strangely wrapped box.

Strange plants, all brown and green, stood sentry to the hidden answers. A girl, all cheer and strong, spoke to him as they shifted.

A feeling of tranquility, as he once again sun beneath the surface-

A pair of eyes, so red, watched him with affection, holding him tight against the water’s current. A secret word hanging upon his lips.

“Yu-“

“Ritoceh!”

Pain, despair ripping at his insides. Violent shredding, stinging words, a world tinted in red. A hand reached out for him, all warmth and brightness, fighting valiantly against the pain and darkness. Reach for it!

“Ritoceh! Wake up!”

“Wait…fo-…me, Yu… I’ll…-ve you.”

“Wake up, damnit!”

Gasping, Ritoceh came to suddenly. His eyesight went black, then fuzzy, and finally focused on Rebecca’s face. Blinking rapidly, Ritoceh grappled for a thought that made sense.

“Idiot! What’s wrong with you?!”

Something was wrong? Yes, something was wrong, but he didn’t know which part was wrong. Everything was just…wrong.

“I-I’m not…sure.” He managed to cough out at Rebecca’s demanding shakes. He raised a shaky hand to his forehead, the low temperature of his hands a relief to his feverish forehead. He completely missed how Rebecca started to reach for him, her expression softening into concern, before she shook herself and adopted her usual look of annoyance. “I was…elsewhere, I think. I-it was…weird, there were people and…” he trailed off, unsure how exactly to phrase what he saw.

“Let’s…go see Master Dartz.”

Shivering, Ritoceh let Rebecca drag him off in the unfamiliar halls. His internal map was scrambled, and his eyesight was still a little fuzzy.

In no time, Ritoceh and Rebecca entered a dimly lit room, the smell of treated paper in the water. They were directed by a scribe to a small section lit by a few tethered light orbs, where the older scrolls were normally kept. As they passed, Ritoceh couldn’t help but marvel at the light orbs. He was told that they were a common lighting device in the city, yet they looked to alien that he could help by stare. An elbow in his side realigned his attention back to his reason for being here.

“Master Dartz?” Rebecca whispered to the cloaked figure, pulling Ritoceh up next to her. She waited for his attention to turn to her before she continued. “We’ve run in to some trouble.”

“Trouble?”

Ritoceh could not suppress the way his body cringed at the councilman’s voice. He still didn’t know why, but the man’s mere presence made him want to curl up and hide in the nearest corner. Those mismatched eyes always watched him with calculating cruelness, as if he was a mere pawn in some game.

At Rebecca’s prodding, Ritoceh stuttered as he tried to retell what he had experienced. He started with how sudden the images had come over him, and then tried to explain in words the images he had seen. Something inside of his heart made him keep the red-eyed person a secret.

“Is that all you saw?” Dartz’s eyes narrowed, and Ritoceh knew that Master Dartz knew he wasn’t telling everything. He wasn’t completely sure why he had kept that part to himself, but his instincts were about the only thing he could really trust.

“Yes.” He whispered, staring at a nearby bookshelf in hopes that his eyes wouldn’t betray him. He caught Rebecca’s suspicious look just before she also turned to look at the bookshelf, and he almost sighed gratefully. It seemed like Rebecca was on his side today. “What was it?” he asked in an attempt to switch Dartz attention from him to what he had seen.

“Visions.” Dartz answered, a hint of excitement creeping into his voice. Ritoceh cringed again. “You are a Fyl’ic, a time-watcher.”

Ritoceh blinked. Fyl’ic? What kind of word was that? And time-watcher? Dartz sounded excited as he said those words, and a tight knot settled in his belly. Dartz being excited did not feel right with him.

Rebecca gasped at Dartz’s declaration, and Ritoceh turned to look at the girl. There was full out awe shinning in her eyes as she looked at him. “He’s a Fyl’ic? Is that why we embraced him?

Embraced? What does she mean by that? The look Dartz shot her at her outburst made him think that it was something he wasn’t supposed to know. Rebecca looked abashed, realizing whatever she was not supposed to do, and he narrowed his eyes at her. There was something going on here, but what?

“A Fyl’ic is someone with the ability to look into the past and the future. The ability is rare and highly appreciated among our people.” Dartz simplified what could have been an obviously long and drawn out explanation. “It seems that we will have to start training you sooner than we thought.”

“But, Master Dartz!” Rebecca shouted the next second later, her expression shocked. “How is it that he’s a Fyl’ic?!” Ritoceh drifted back at the intensity of her voice. Was it really that big of a deal? He was normal, right?

“Rebecca, he is one of us.” Ritoceh did not miss the way Rebecca flinched at the use of her name, nor how her whole expression suddenly smoothed over and went blank.

“I apologize, Master Dartz. I was out of line.” She intoned, bowing at the waist. Dartz nodded, apparently in dismissal, and Rebecca quickly grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the library.

Ritoceh wisely remained silent as he was lead to Rebecca’s house, the place where he was staying currently. Her grandfather was away on business, and she had (surprisingly) offered him a room in the large house. Dartz, at first, had seemed rather unwilling to let him go anywhere outside of the palace, but Rebecca had pointed out that the house was attached to the palace and relatively nearby, and it would help him readjust to life here.

The silent guards let them pass, and it was only when they had gotten out of earshot had Rebecca’s mask slipped.

“I can’t believe him!” she fumed, her grip tightening on Ritoceh’s wrist. “Of all the ways to treat me, he just had to-!” Ritoceh winced as her tirade turned into mumbles and her grip was nearly crushing his wrist.

“Rebecca!” he squeaked painfully, grasping at her hand to try and get it off of his wrist. He couldn’t feel his fingers anymore!

“Sorry.” She mumbled, letting go of his wrist and cradling her own hand behind her back. Her blue eyes were darker than normal, and she looked clearly distraught. Ritoceh hesitated, unsure exactly of what he was going to do.

“Are…” he started, reaching out a hand for her before thinking better of it and letting it fall back to his side. “Are you okay?”

Rebecca just looked at him for a moment, her expression utterly surprised before she let out a short laugh. “Okay? What made you think I wasn’t?”

Ritoceh saw right through her act, but the question was if he should actually let it go or it he should push it. He knew that it the cause of her anger wasn’t truly due to Dartz reprimanding her, but it must have been the last straw. A part of his heart went out for the girl. She was the only living relative to Arthur Hawkins, who, to his understanding was a man of high political standings, and she was expected to fill his shoes when the time came. He couldn’t truly understand what it was like, but he could hazard a guess.

Making up his mind, Ritoceh calmly rested a hand on Rebecca’s shoulder. She flinched under the contact, and immediately turned to look at him, insult ready on her lips. It took only one look into his inquiring, understanding eyes for her to break down.

“No…” she admitted quietly. “I’m not okay.”

Cautiously, Ritoceh began to wrap his arm around her shoulders, trying to let her know that he was there and someone was listening. He was completely caught off guard when she suddenly launched into his chest, crying and the real reason behind her action spilling forth. Feeling awkward, Ritoceh wrapped his stiff arms around Rebecca’s sobbing form.

“I-it’s just…I try so hard, and I…don’t seem to get anywhere!” she cried, burying her face in the crook of Ritoceh’s neck and clutching tightly onto his upper arms. After a moment, Ritoceh relaxed his hold. “I just…don’t want to disappoint him.”

“I may not know him,” Ritoceh began slowly, picking his words carefully. “But your grandfather seems to be proud of you no matter what you do. You’ve said how many times you’ve messed up, yet he’s still there isn’t he?” Rebecca turned tear-stained eyes up at him. Those weird visions flickered once again in his mind’s eye, centering over the old man and the young boy, and an understanding smile on his face. “I’m sure that he will be proud of you no matter what you do.”

She smiled and her features lit up. Ritoceh knew that he had said the right thing. Maybe she would even be nice to him!

He should have known better.

The only warning that he got was how she stiffened against him; he tried to let her go the moment he realized it, but his motor skill were still too slow. She violently pushed him away, wiping furiously at her face and looking everywhere but him. He caught a glimpse of her face before she turned away, and he couldn’t prevent the laugh that bubbled out of him.

Rebecca Hawkins was blushing.

He haphazardly defended himself when she turned on him. She got a good hit to his head, shouting “Idiot!” before taking off in the direction of the house. Ritoceh laughed, rubbing the spot where Rebecca had hit him. The hit wasn’t actually that hard, but her reaction was hilarious! Within a span of moment, Rebecca was already twenty feet away and still swimming hard. Sputtering, Ritoceh tried to right himself, leaning forward to get the direction right. It took precious seconds to get his muscles working right, but soon he was scurrying along to catch up to the speeding girl. Still laughing, he called out to her.

“Wait up, Rebecca!

~(*)~

A.N: Thanks a bunch Tavi for looking over this for me! Review please?