I lifted off as the door closed behind Octavia and slowly circled Auric's office. I flew low, looking for a concealed perch, eventually hunkering down in the shade behind a nearby store sign.
As I waited, I watched the traffic trickling up and down the street. I kept my wings half-spread, feeling air wander over them, sensing the movement of anypony upwind. The breeze gently curled through nearby alleys and streets, clearly marking pedestrians and carts meandering in and out of my perception.
I pondered the situation, wondering what to expect, how to proceed. What could we do with more information? Would we learn anything about Azure? Could we act with what we had, even if this didn't pan out?
I tumbled the pieces through my head before frustration crowded them out. I didn't know how to plan from this, and I didn't need…
I paused, snatching at that thought. I didn't need to know, because? Because I'd nearly consigned the whole thing to Octavia. Was that really fair? I remembered pausing at her departure, my tinge of apprehension as she walked into the Steel Breeze building.
But then I remembered her look the other day, her easy offer of help. 'Us', she had said. My worry eased at that, how she willingly shared my troubles. Why shouldn't I leave it to her? The information we gained wouldn't be just my problem. I grinned, enjoying the feeling. I just needed to ensure her escape.
My thoughts derailed as I sensed air movement. I felt somepony slip into the windstream from a high window in the Steel Breeze building. I heard long wings snap, and leaned out of concealment to see who it was.
White feathers gleamed in the sunlight, tawny fur shining as Gilda did a small loop and soared, clearly searching. She wheeled and turned in an updraft. I leaned further, clearly visible to eagle eyes. She noticed quickly, turning and sliding towards me smoothly.
"Silver!" She grinned and landed by me, claws scoring the shingles. The sign extended above us, shading our meeting from the sun and anypony across the road, where Auric's building was. "Good, good. Hey, your friend has a plan." Her smile grew mischievous. "How do you feel about being bait?"
"Teamwork, huh?" I smiled back wryly. "Still, if I get to tease Auric, I don't mind. How's this going down?"
"Here's what she's up to…" Gilda lowered her voice and started explaining.
"La-de-da-de-da, I'm being sneaky…" I monotoned, pacing the edge of a roof, casually breaking cover. A half-blind pony would see me here. Auric, when he dashed out, spotted me instantly. He leaped skywards, throwing himself off the ground and curling gracefully onto my perch with a masterful scooping stroke. He came down with bent knees, ready to spring.
I flared my wings, pretending shock.
"Auric Highwind!" I gave him an exaggerated bow. "Wow, what a surprise!"
"Silver Lining." His voice was dark. "What the hay are you playing at? First you show up at Azure's party, and now you're spying on me? Leave politics to the big boys. You're out of your depth."
"Eh, maybe you're right." I shrugged. "Sure, I'm not much for politics. But why assume I'm spying on you? I could be watching—" I pointed randomly "—those guys, you know?"
"Clyde's boulder storage?" His doubt was clear. "Somehow, I have trouble buying that. Tell you what." His claws unsheathed. "I'll give you another chance since I'm feeling generous today. Why don't—"
"Look, look." I dismissed his posturing with a flat laugh. This was becoming annoying, and I was sick of talking. "If you're attacking, get on with it. I'll flatten you and then throw the book at you. The boss might not appreciate you starting fights." I primed my magic, curling my quillons to the fore. The Storm in my mind rolled, imaginary rain deepening to internal downpour. I pushed it back; using that would reveal too much.
"Your word against mine, flyboy." His wings tensed, black feathers vibrating. "Intaglio can try to throw me out of the Hunters, but my friends might object. I'm no maverick loner, after all. I won't hurt you, not much. It's all in self-defense!" His frustrated grimace slowly dissolved into a smirk. "I'm going to—"
I kicked him.
I pivoted on my forehooves, shoved with my wings, stretched my legs. He blocked with a wing and I felt roofing tear under his claws. He lurched and jumped to tumble off the edge. He twisted catlike, swooping low and looping back.
I was in the air when he cleared the roofline. I dashed, slicing at him in a bladed flurry. He rolled to evade. I looped high as he traced me and we accelerated with long flaps. The road whirled beneath, spinning through my awareness. I tried to shake him by dipping into an alley and bouncing over a wall.
He snarled as I dove. Ponies were watching, whistling and pointing. I grinned as coins passed between a few. Bystanders. Auric cut past, diving faster. I rolled away from his claws and spun upwards again. I yanked at the surrounding air, fighting for control against his ferocious wings. I snatched a breeze, streaming airflow around me as I climbed. Auric fought for height below.
I heard him yell, and jumped as his airstream writhed and knotted. An ethereal gleam touched his feathers and they shimmered blue in the afternoon sun. His snarl went savage. A faint contrail formed as he cast his own magic.
"Uncle!" A smaller shape zipped towards us. Gilda frowned in consternation. "What are you—" I hadn't seen her following, but Auric's use of magic was bothering her. She climbed, trying to stop him, but the spell propelled him too quickly.
If he wanted magic, I could reciprocate.
I leveled off overhead and traced a tight circle. Sparks crackled along my quillons as I flexed my magic. The tracing charge jumped from the ground, painting him, and his eyes went wide. I blinked. There was a sizzle and resounding crack as blue-hot lighting leaped from my hooves. Brightness flashed against my eyelids. I opened them at his yowl. Singed feathers floated around him, but he still came on, gaining speed. I glanced around. Pegasi were gathering. Guard armor glinted in the distance.
I dove to meet him, feeling my inner Storm snap and crackle in response to his spells. My blades curled like petals and flickered in the wind as we clashed. He couldn't dodge me completely, not at this speed. I felt his magic lash me with invisible blades. I bent them with a twist of power and slipped through with mere scratches, even as he deflected my slices with flashes of his claws.
I leveled off and paused, looking up. He loosed his magic, hovering midair and scowling with contempt.
"You're not bad," he admitted grudgingly.
"Expected an easy fight?" I smirked, throwing his assurance of superiority back at him. "How little you know me, Auric Highwind."
"I know—"
CHRRRRRRRRRRING~!
He flinched, glancing to his office, where the bell was sounding. His eyes narrowed and he looked back to me.
An alarm! I thought, letting my smirk grow. Gotta be her. Time to stall…
"Something bothering you?" I arrowed at him, spreading streaks of aura. He dashed sideways, but I matched him with a sideslip and landed solid blows on his chest. "Pay attention now; don't lose focus," I mocked him with a grin.
He snarled in frustration, his attention wavering. He tucked and dropped, but I looped into a power dive and reached for his tailfeathers. He spread and soared, nearly losing me with the sudden reversal, but I wrestled for the wind and slowed him enough to catch up.
For long moments, we were locked in stalemate.
He tried to escape, and I clung like a burr. If he slowed or broke away, I punished his lack of attention with a slice or a kick. He was looking ragged when the guards showed.
"The goldies are here, Auric!" I yelled gleefully. "It's been fun, but playtime's over."
He snarled and whirled, laying one last slash across my side. I blunted it with my wings, laughing as he left welts on my coat. I would have escaped even that if Octavia hadn't trimmed me. I disengaged with a dive, looping away from the alarm even as he dashed towards it. I dropped into the alleys, making high-speed corners to shake pursuit. I heard the guards swish overhead, scanning, but I was below the roofline, jinking and brushing brickwork, skimming walls with my pinions and long gone from the search area.
I turned a hard left, circling behind Steel Breeze HQ. I glimpsed a gray coat and heard hooves pounding pavement. I tucked, spun, and dropped, landing before Octavia. She flinched and shied, but steadied and drew a deep, calming breath upon seeing my face.
"Silver." She grinned unsteadily. "Good to see you."
"Tavi, you look terrible." I stepped closer, examining her scratches and cuts. I saw bruises too, but she mostly looked haggard, exhausted. I frowned at her blood-stained coat. "Are you okay?" I glanced at her face, and slit pupils gleamed back. I stepped away quickly. Of course. If her cuts weren't closing, she was doing well to stay this stable.
"Must have been the crash." Her knees wobbled, and she slumped slightly. "Or maybe that last blast. Things got interesting." I could see her concentration fray as stress and adrenaline began wearing off. "I sent the papers, though. Ziggy should have them."
"Good job." We had something to work with.
"Thanks." She smiled at my praise.
"You have a recital tonight, right?" I grimaced. She was in bad shape.
"Yeah. Blech." She rubbed her eyes with a hoof, and grimaced as she smeared mud on her face. "Gotta clean up."
"Let's get you home then." I spread my wings and called the wind. "I'll give you a lift."
"Thanks." She sighed and collapsed, even as I knotted a breeze to lift her off the ground. "Wake me when we get there," she mumbled, going completely limp and curling slightly.
"Really now." She didn't hear my wry murmur, or see my fond glance. "Just how much do you want me to spoil you?" But I moved gracefully, avoiding jostles and jerks as I wafted her skywards, and picking only the most comfortable breezes to carry us towards her house.
"Octavia." I nudged her with a gentle wingtip.
"Huh?" She gasped slightly on waking from her snooze, glancing around in confusion. I set her on the patch of grass outside her apartment door. "Whazzat?"
"We're there," I explained patiently. "And I wish you'd tell me what left you so bedraggled."
"Batmane," she mumbled.
"Huh?"
"Batmane." She shook her head and climbed to her hooves, brushing grass off her coat with quick switches of her tail.
"A vigilante?" I frowned. She nodded. "What were they like?"
"A unicorn, for one." She stepped quickly into the shade, glaring hatefully at the sun. "They — I couldn't tell if it was a mare or stallion — had some tricky gadgets, but seemed fairly… silly? They acted like a buffoon at times, but were more effective than I expected. Spellcasting and fighting, I would have been outmatched, except…" Her voice trailed off, and she raised a hoof to the carcanet hanging under her scarf. "Except for this and my… condition." She paused and drew a raspy breath. "Speaking of which, I'm dreadfully thirsty. Let's get inside." She slunk along the wall of the house, flowing carefully through the shade, avoiding even the tiniest sunbeam. She flung the door open and stepped through.
"Octavia?" I followed. Just how badly was she doing? She had burned her reserves last fight as well. I'd left her with Azure then, against my better judgement, and she'd survived. When I reached her, she had been starving.
Was there a threshold? Did the effects of privation appear immediately, or was there a delay even depleting her stored magic? Maybe she should drink more.
I followed as she made a beeline for the fridge.
"So, you fought Batmane?"
"Yes." Her voice was distracted. "I got the info, but they interfered before I escaped. I'm not sure how, or why, they found me. No, wait." The fridge door muffled her voice as she searched. "They seemed to mistake me for Azure. I wonder… Perhaps they planned to move against Auric, and just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? If they knew Auric worked with a vampire—"
"—they might have stumbled on you and jumped to conclusions." I frowned. "That's possible. But you said they acted less competent than they were?"
"Yeah." She closed the fridge and glared at it. She swallowed hard, working her tongue behind her teeth. "Their words were ridiculous, almost comical. But the fight and that spell were no joke. Were they trying to be underestimated?"
"Could be." I shrugged. "That's a good strategy." I watched with growing worry as she started pacing, glancing at the fridge door and scratching her throat. She filled a glass with water and sipped it, scowling. Her pupils were strongly pronounced, and her coat looked thicker. "Octavia, what's wrong?"
"I don't have any left." She glanced at the fridge again. "I thought there was some in the bottle, but it's gone. Did Shimmerelle throw it out? I didn't even… I don't…" She drew in a shuddering breath and pinned me with a stare. "Gah!"
"What?" I leaned away as she slunk across the kitchen, flowing forwards to stand uncomfortably close.
"You're bleeding." Her eyes fixed on the welts Auric had left on barrel, hardly visible under my coat.
"Just a scratch." I moved to cover them with a wing. "Will you be okay, Octavia? You seem like you're in a bad way."
"Mmm." She circled me, her eyes skimming my wounds and fixing on my throat. Her voice was deepening, going raspy. "I don't know. I need blood. I can't concentrate, can't play. I need to perform." She rubbed her cut shoulder irritably. "I need this to heal, I need a shower, I…" She trailed off, leaning in. I inched back as she drew a long sniff. "You smell like the sky, Silver. Like wild wind and sunlight on clouds, and heat lighting in summer and ocean breezes, and mist rolling down mountain passes and—"
"You're making me uncomfortable, Octavia." I looked down through her disheveled mane. She stared up through her bangs, slit eyes locked on my own. There was a purple intensity there, a dangerous fixation. "I'm not sure—" I bumped against the wall, and realized I'd been scooted into a corner. She inched forwards. I shivered at her smile, teeth needle-sharp in the cool dimness.
"You smell wonderful." She slipped past, sliding around my guard and cornering me further. "Fresh and spicy."
"Octavia." I injected a touch of worry into my voice, trying to reach her. "Please, you're not acting like yourself."
"Silver, Silver." She laughed, displaying her fangs as she rubbed her throat. "I'm fine. I just need a drop of something red." Her gaze flicked to the fridge. "And I need it now, you see, because I have to be there for the orchestra." Her eyes went pleading, and she coughed. "I can't be in a group like that, not when I want to bite everypony. You see that, right?"
I gulped, as she widened her eyes innocently. The curl of her lips spoiled the effect slightly. "I'll get Vinyl to bring you some—" I cut off as she brushed my shoulder with a feather-light hoof.
"Silver, don't be silly." She traced the line of my neck, leaning in and lowering her voice. Her breath touched my mane, tingling the short hairs in my ears. "I don't have time. I need to clean up and get going. Please, can't I have a little of your blood?" I smelled her in turn, wild and warm and dangerous, tingles raced down my spine. "I don't need much, just a drop, a nibble, I'll—"
My feelings piled up, annoyance, desire, frustration, and a sick, twisted fear, until my patience finally snapped. I didn't want any part of this. It was wrong, wrong, wrong.
"Stop." I layered every ounce of command I possessed into that word, slamming it home like a javelin. She froze as I tensed, preparing a blow if she continued. I slipped away, watching her eyes swivel after as I moved away. "If you bite me like this, Octavia, you'll regret it."
She started trembling, and I wondered what was happening behind those lovely eyes. She bit her lip and shook her head slowly, bouncing on the tips of her hooves. She wavered as I poured menace at her, warning her clearly. Finally, something snapped, and she gave a shaky sigh, her tension escaping.
"Sorry." Her voice was small. "I didn't… I won't…"
"No, I mean…" I sighed, bothered by how small and scared she suddenly looked. I released my stance, letting her relax. She watched warily as I took slow steps to the counter. "I mean, even if I let you bite me, I think you'd regret it. Later." I opened random cupboards until I found cups. "I might have to hurt you. I don't want to hurt you." She flinched as I spread a wing, curling a quillon around to point at myself. "And I don't want to see you hurting." I raised a foreleg, pricking the inside of the joint so a drop of red welled through my thin fur.
I could feel her gaze intensify. I pressed the cup to the small wound, letting dribbles of red accumulate.
"Get me a bandage?" I asked. "Or maybe some tissue." There wasn't much blood in the cup; maybe a teaspoon or two. I'd lost more from nosebleeds. But I didn't want to cut deeper, and she didn't drink much, right? Seven or eight ounces cups.
She disappeared momentarily, returning with a gauze pad. I staunched the wound and passed her the cup.
"Here." I hobbled towards the door, tying the bandage. "That's all I can do. I'll send Vinyl over with a bottle, get you re-stocked or something."
I heard her murmur affirmation as I slipped out the door. I checked the sun, and spread my wings again.
"Sorry, Octavia." I glanced back as I lifted off. "Heavens help you. I wish I could do more." I turned towards Vinyl's. "I hope what we've learned is worth it."
"Oh-gosh-oh-gosh!" Vinyl zipped around her kitchen, rummaging through cupboards and drawers. "I don't think I have any! I told her I'd bring some, that I'd make sure she had enough, and then I didn't! If she's running low, she's liable to think about biting anypony, and, and—" She pranced in place a moment, panicking. I frowned at the excitable DJ.
"Tell me about it." I grimaced. "She was all 'let me bite you, Silver. Just a nibble, I promise, Silver.' It was a little… distracting."
Vinyl paused, a strange expression crossing her face. "She was? How'd you get away?"
"I gave her a few drops." I shrugged. "Not much, but it might be enough to—"
"Wait." Vinyl froze, turning slowly and staring straight at me. "You gave her some of your blood?"
"Just a taste." I furrowed my eyebrows. "I mean, I didn't want a deep cut. And even if she bit me, I don't think—"
"No, no, no!" Vinyl spun, redoubling her rummaging. "That's… no, Silver, just no!"
"What?" I frowned. "Sure, it was a little strange, but she was so insistent. She was cut. I couldn't just—"
"Silver Lining!" Vinyl barked. "Remember what you told us the other day? About your magic?"
"…Yes?"
"How it's strange?"
"Yes?" I had a sudden sinking feeling in my gut, as I realized where this was going.
"I've known your magic is different for a while, because every time I smelled you with a cut or a scrape, my nose would tingle and twitch. Do you remember what happened when Octavia drank some of Syzygy's blood, unprepared?"
"Uh." I considered the Storm, and considered her reaction to unicorn magic. "Sleet."
"Sleet, indeed. Ahah!" Vinyl finally unearthed an unglazed pint bottle, corked and wired. "I knew I had an emergency stash!" She blew on the bottom, revealing a preservation seal. "Still good. Look, Silver, you hang out here with Ziggy, and I'll run damage control on our bloodsucker. Later!" She scooped up a satchel and holstered the bottle as she zipped out the door.
"Blech." I watched her go, wondering just what I'd done.
"Don't sweat it." Syzygy's voice came from the next room, and I left the kitchen. Vinyl had set up a folding table in front of the beat-up couch, piling her electronics all around. Syzygy had dissected the notebook Octavia copied the letters into, spreading the manuscripts on it. He had a ball of twine, a pile of notecards, and a box of thumbtacks, and he was busily tracing connections, correlations, and guesses across a small constellation of paper. "If it's just a few drops, I don't think you'll cause any serious problems. I gave her at least a half-pint of mine before she started wrecking things."
"Two teaspoons, maybe." I sighed, frowning down at his work.
"It'll be fine. Like I said, don't sweat it." He grunted and slammed another thumbtack into a sheet. "Just, you know, careful around Vinyl. She might want a drop too."
"Think so?" I looked towards the door, uncomfortable about the idea. I hadn't considered that.
"Pff." Syzygy snorted in laughter. "It was a joke, but… you never know with that one."
"Heh." I shook my head. "Too true." I leaned in, examining his work. "How's the analysis coming? What do we know?"
"Not much." He sighed and snipped another length of twine, scribbling on a notecard even as he knotted the string to a pair of thumbtacks. "Auric was busy with at least three correspondents. Only one is definitely from Primalis. He's trading information, and they've got goals." He frowned. "I'm still trying to figure out exactly what the goals are. Or the identities of the other correspondents. I get the feeling he's a halfway point, a mover-and-shaker for somepony higher, that he's not really his own boss."
"A spy?" I suggested.
"Could be." Syzygy frowned. "Or rather, definitely, but not necessarily for a political party?" He shook his head. "He's spying, sure. But he may not be working for somepony we think of as needing spies."
"Well, he is a private eye."
Syzygy nodded. "We're all Hunters, right?"
"Mmm." I started tracing the strings. "How far back does this go?"
"At least five years," he mumbled, pinning another connection. "Maybe more. They didn't send many notes, so either there's another lane of communication, or they trust each other, or this isn't actually very important. I'd guess the first, since he did keep these. Probably for blackmail."
I nodded absently, tracing the connections he'd made to signal the conversation with Primalis. I zig-zagged from one note to another skimming and working my way back. Finally, a question bubbled up from the back of my brain. I'd been pondering it for a while, after the connection had surfaced, but I still wasn't sure if it was worth asking.
"What are the chances," I asked quietly, "that he was behind Primalis moving against my father?"
Syzygy didn't respond for a long moment, only our quiet breathing breaking the silence.
"…not sure," he finally grunted. "I don't know how high-up this contact of his is." He traced a string with a hoof. "But he's no grunt. They discuss an important artifact here, and Primalis doesn't play around with petty treasure. But that's after I joined. Looking back, there's some evidence Auric motivated them, that he set goals, at least for his contact. But there's very little indication of what those goals are." He rubbed his forehead in frustration. "There's got to be another communication channel. More letters, or a meeting spot, or… I dunno."
"Work it from the other end?" I suggested. "You said you'd investigate Primalis for us."
"Yeah." He sighed. "That's what it's going to have to be. There's a few clues here." He pointed to the letters. "Some indication that they were working out a deal. I think Auric wanted this artifact, and his contact was trying to buy it from the owner in Primalis." He frowned. "That I might be able to figure out. Just asking around." He yawned and pushed himself back from the table. "But that's something to consider later. You had supper?"
"No." I checked the clock. "I'm hungry. And I need a drink." I sighed. "And probably see about begging a healing spell as well. I've been put through the wringer over the past week, and I don't think it's going to get easier."
"Especially if you keep losing blood." He gave me an appraising stare. "Or giving it away." He smirked. "Why'd you do it, anyways? Was it those fierce purple eyes, or that elegantly coiffed mane?"
"I…" I turned towards the door, caught off guard. "I just didn't want to see her so desperate."
"Ah." Ziggy chuckled and followed me out, locking the door and teleporting the key back inside. "She means that much to you?"
I considered that for a long moment until he finally turned towards me and raised an eyebrow.
"Does she?"
"Maybe." I chewed my lip, considering how I'd felt when she walked into Auric's building. How she had smelled, leaning near me and grinning like a razor. Her glee in exploring the sky on new wings, like a filly, or how she had stared deep into my eyes and begged me for a little more trust, a little more of my heart. I recalled her slit eyes, wondering if I'd given her too much. "Maybe she does…?"
I frowned, as my feelings towards her suddenly jumped into stark clarity, a jumbled confusion thrown into stark relief by a flash of insight. Could I allow this? I suppressed a groan as my instincts rebelled, fighting a sudden sense of impending doom. I remembered slicing Vinyl to ribbons when we had fought, and the shredded remains of my home as I ran from Cloudsdale, from my childhood, sister, friends. I couldn’t even protect my family. How could I allow this?
"Well." Syzygy smiled, and for once, I didn't see a hint of mockery in it. "Well, well, well."
"This is trouble, isn't it?" I groaned quietly. "She's… I'm…" The weight of our situation crashed back onto me. The carcanet and the knotted feather swirled in my mind, stirring clouds in the Storm as worry and regret mixed into a seething knot of acid in my stomach.
"Yup!" Syzygy grinned. "But there was trouble before." He turned to me and shrugged. "Don't give up yet. It could be worth it."
His reassurance buoyed me. I remembered purple eyes and smelled spice on the warm breeze, and my feelings shifted again. In the short time since I’d met her, I’d been… happy. Not just content or pleased, but joyful. It had been a long time since I’d enjoyed anything as much as showing Octavia the sky, or following her as she cut through Auric and Azure’s schemes with deft grace.
I felt my trepidation waver, surrender to hope. Perhaps this time would be different. Her trust in me, my trust in her, already sliced through the obstacles surrounding us. This... didn’t change anything, right? I had pledged her my protection, and she had promised to stand with me. This was simply… more.
The Storm calmed. After a few moments, the revelation felt less like lightning and more like sunrise. It was better to know. We were searching for a path. We were already walking together, moving forward as comrades. I liked that. I wanted more. Perhaps, this time, things would be different. Even if I didn’t feel it, I couldn’t abandon this so easily. It was worth hoping for, searching for.
"Yeah… I guess it could be."