The pounding rain had lessened and was now a mere sprinkle. A silent wind blew the leaves all around and began calming the fire that was between both brothers.
Hale's face was now deep crimson from the tears falling from his eyes. In all his life, Gairett had never seen him cry. He thought Hale couldn't cry. The rain was smearing the blood on his face, and it was dripping on his hair and chest. It left little runs of red everywhere it touched as it passed down his white skin.
Slowly Gairett relaxed his coil around Hale and let him go, watching as he slumped to the ground, emotionally exhausted. Gairett allowed his tail to shrink away as his bones painfully reconstructed back into the shape of a man. Gairett, naked but not caring, dropped down to his knees to sit next to his hurting brother.
By his knee was a small wet feather. Melisa could transform, but her transformation was so much more beautiful to Gairett. She needed no metal, or help. She simply was. Thinking of her now only hurt more. "It is not Melisa, Hale. She just looks like her."
"That's even worse. She's not really 'er and I still can't win." He let out a sigh and shuddered when a gust of wind blew at his back. As if trying to blow away the pain they both felt. He could feel Gairett beside him, and his emotions nearly overwhelmed him. Hale wiped the blood away and slunk further down as if to hold himself.
"She tastes so much like 'er Gair. 'Er smell, 'er looks. When you told me about 'er, I just assumed she was similar, you know, like in 'er actions, and features. Not that she was 'er incarnate." He was whispering, barely even breathing the words out, but Hale's whispers were loud in Gairett's ears.
"There has to be some reason, some explanation as to why. Something. . . I will figure it out, Hale."
Gairett stood up and plucked his brother off the ground. Hale was weak from the battle and mental trauma of essentially seeing Melisa again. So much was happening to him at this moment it was a miracle he was still conscious. Especially with the oncoming sunrise.
They had only fought once before when they were smaller. Gairett's Illusion ability and elemental work, then, were far less than what it was now, but he was still stronger than Hale then and had truly injured him. The thought of doing so, and the sorrow that came with it, was the only thing that kept him from really trying to harm Hale tonight. Although remembering the lightening, he was thinking twice about whether or not he could truly take him now, if Hale meant to hurt him.
It was near dawn, and Hale's body had used most of its energy. With the sun so close, his blood was going dormant, and he wouldn't be safe if left here in the open. He would have to take him to Velori's.
"You are weak. I was heading to Velori's place to tell them she is in the hospital. She has an area you will be safe in. Sleep through the sun there, then rise and eat. I will let them know not to disturb you."
Gairett was once again landing on Velori's balcony, carrying someone. The memories of the other night came up without warning, but he shut them down so that Hale couldn't read them from his mind. Unlike Gairett, Hale's mind-reading ability was something that came from his species and needed no training to use. He did it sometimes without even realizing it.
He stepped into her bedchambers and placed Hale, who was dazing in and out of sleep, onto her bed.
"When you wake, ask Anne the housekeeper, where Velori is. She will tell you."
He pulled the covers over Hale's wet body and walked out through the secret door. He had to go through the library and down the hall to get to the kitchen. He was sure Anne would be there, if not her, then someone who would know what to do. Perhaps the cook?
On his way, he saw a large mirror standing in the hallway. It was silver-rimmed and covered in engraved flowers. At the very top, it arched up and went into a U shape. In the middle of the U, a small rose was set. It was in full bloom and sitting on it was a small stone fairy. A person wouldn't be able to tell she was even there unless they looked closely.
There was something about the mirror that struck him. Something about the fairy whittled at his awareness. He almost had what it was when he saw himself in the mirror. His reflection blanked his mind completely. He hadn't seen himself since he had awakened, and he looked nothing like the Gairett he was used to.
While he had been walking to find Anne, a maid had seen him and quickly turned abruptly before he could call out to her. Seeing himself now, he knew why. His hair was long, wiry, and in some spots, clumped with dirt. His skin was almost as white as Hale's, causing him to look like a white leopard with his milk-colored skin peeking through the mud splatter all over him. And then, from the waist down he was still bare from the fight.
With a blush on his face and a swish of his hand, he was clean again. No dirt, no blood, clean hair and thank the Gods, pants. As he moved the hair out of the way to examine his face, he noticed the dirt and mud under his nails still. His mind turned to Tayen and how she would have killed him for his appearance. He couldn't stop the always accompanying pain that came with memories of her.
He held out his hand and was picking at it when Anne walked into the hallway and saw him looking at himself. The maid from earlier had quickly gone to get her, as there was a man roaming the house with all his tidbits hanging out.
"You're Velori's friend! The one that helped her the other day. I was just on my way to her room, to see if that girl had an excuse to give the cook, when Jessie said there was a strange man in the house. Thankfully she was misguided about parts of her story." Anne looked up and down Gairett's clothed figure. "Have ya seen Velori? She said she'd be back by now. The cook is rather upset, and she always tries to keep'm happy, ya know? She really does favor his dishes. Do y'know if she's even here? I haven't seen her, and she was up all night one night and then gone the next mornin'. I reckon she would have been back by now with it bein so late and all."
"Velori is in the hospital." He said it plainly, without intended shock, or surprise. Which is what blossomed across her face. "The really big one, near a large school. Do you know where that is? They said something about paperwork, and I have no idea what-"
"WHAT? Why is she . . . how?" Anne's once rather calm and cheery face was now red with anger. "What have ye done to her?" Her accent got a thick drawl to it from the anger, which made him smirk without thinking about the consequences.
Smiling had been a mistake because reading her thoughts and expression he knew she meant to run for the gun and pull the trigger. But he was there before she could turn. He grabbed her arm and put on slight pressure. In a low and rhythmic voice, he quietly told Anne the truth, as far as he could.
"Velori was on one of her digs when an animal attacked her. She has lost a large amount of body water and has hit her head. She needs you there for her and the doctors need papers filled out." He shoved the location of the hospital into her mind and let go of her arm. It was clear she had lessened her determination to shoot him, by the relaxing of her shoulders and spine. "Velori herself told you I am a good friend, didn't she?"
Velori had said no such thing, but with that voice, and the rhythm he was broadcasting she couldn't believe otherwise.
"I will be here on and off, and you will become accustomed to me, and my brother, who is a great friend to Velori as well. He too was injured and sleeps in her secret rooms. No one knows he's there, and I would like him not to be disturbed. He will wake up in a few nights and will come to you looking for answers. Do not lie to him and do not bother him while he sleeps. He does not know what he does while he's in this state."
Without knowing it he added an extra beat to his rhythm, making his voice come out as creamy as soft butter. It made his commands and suggestions sink in without a fight. "He will be hungry, allow him access to whatever he asks for. After he is gone you will not mention this to Velori when she returns."
Before Anne could blink or even shudder at the wind that swept by her, he was gone. She wondered if he was even there in the first place. All she knew was she had to get to the hospital and that his brother was not to be disturbed or mentioned.