224 - Visitors

Lexie had her eyes closed when the door opened again.

She wasn't asleep. She didn’t think she could sleep, at least not without help from Ryn’s special tea. But she’d closed her eyes because she wanted to remember what it felt like. She wanted to soak it all in, the scent, the noises, the feel of everything.

She still had a few things she needed to do, but her priority was figuring out why the Land Card wasn't working. She was staring at the pathways of her soul card, tracing it, trying to figure out where she went wrong. 

Why wasn’t it working like it was supposed to?

When the door opened, her heart jumped. She was expecting it to be Xena and Dewie, who were on their way, and Lexie couldn't decide how to react.

She wasn’t sure she was ready to open her eyes and see them again. She wanted to bask in the comfort for a little longer before going through another emotional roller coaster.

Especially when she recalled the last time she spoke with Xena.

At the same time, she was eager to see her friends.

But she knew it wasn’t them when Uncle Max said in a very hostile tone, “What the hell is he doing here?”

Lexie’s eyes popped open.

Indeed, Xena and Dewie weren't at the doorway. Instead, it was another man she recognized.

“Dominic Vacek,” Lexie murmured, sitting up. The tall man walked into the room, ignoring the clear hostility he was receiving from Max, Luke, and even Emma, who’d stopped what she was doing in the kitchen to glower at him.

Aiden also didn’t look happy that he was here, though he’d walked in with the man. 

“Lexie,” Vacek said, coming to a stop in front of her. “I’m so happy to see you again.”

Lexie nodded. “Thanks. How is Cecilia doing?"

Lexie assumed he'd seen Cecilia in the arena and taken care of her, but before Vacek could answer, Max interrupted.

"What does that mean? Cecilia came with you?"

“Yeah," Lexie answered. "I thought you watched the video. She was bleeding out in Ryn's arms after she got stabbed in the chest by a ghoul.”

“She what?” Max shot to his feet. 

“She’s stabilized,” Vacek said. “She should be fine.”

"She better be," Max snarled.

“Cecilia?” Luke murmured. “Wait, is this the same Cecilia who was Lara’s friend?”

“Yeah,” Lexie answered. “I found her in the dungeon. Uncle Max kissed her.”

“You did?” Luke seemed shocked.

“No." Max held a finger up. "She kissed me."

“Max!” Emma sounded disappointed. “What about Tati?”

"I don't think they're a thing anymore," Luke commented.

"They're not? Why? I was starting to like her."

“Can we forget about my love life for a second and focus on the important thing?" Max said. "Like, why this asshole is here right now?”

Vacek didn’t take offense at being called an asshole. Didn't even flinch. It must be a common occurrence. 

“Understandably, we have a lot to talk about," Vacek told Lexie. "I’d rather do that here than have to drag you in for an interrogation.”

“You’re not dragging her anywhere,” Max said firmly.

“That’s not your call.”

“Oh yeah?” Max said, propping his elbows on the back of the couch so his fingers could dance over his holster. “What if I say it is?”

“Relax, Max,” Aiden murmured, though he watched Vacek very closely. “No need for this to get messy. He’s just here to ask her a few questions. Right?” For some reason, Aiden's question sounded even more like a threat than Max’s blatant one. 

“Right,” Vacek said. “Can I ask everyone except Aiden to give us leave for a few minutes?”

No one moved.

It seemed everyone was reluctant to leave Lexie with Vacek, even if Aiden was there too.

It wasn’t until Aiden nodded at Emma and Luke that Emma finally said, "We’ll be waiting outside. I’ll take that chance to figure out where Xena is.”

“Yes, thank you, Emma,” Aiden said, and Emma gestured for Luke and Max to follow her.

With a hard look at Vacek, Luke finally rose, but Max remained stubborn. 

“I’m staying,” Max said.

“Max…”

“Save it, Aiden. The last time she spoke to that bastard, she ended up stuck in a dungeon. I’m not taking any chances, and nothing you say can get me to leave right now.”

Aiden sighed, and when Vacek turned to him with a cocked eyebrow, he shrugged. Max stayed sitting as Emma and Luke shuffled out.

Despite everyone’s treatment of Vacek as if he were a big boogeyman, Lexie wasn’t actually threatened by him. Maybe because she’d already faced much stronger threats and defeated them. Or maybe because she didn’t sense any danger from him personally. He didn’t want to hurt her. But he did want something else from her. 

When the other two closed the door behind them, Aiden shot a magic cloud into the air, allowing it to disperse around the room.

“Soundproofing,” he said. 

“Good idea,” Vacek said. He still watched Max, and then he finally murmured, “I’m guessing he knows about Lexie's...peculiarities.”

“Yes,” Aiden answered.

Max’s eyes were wide. “You told him?!”

“I had to. Lexie needs his help. The Fae will be after her now, but Vacek can help us protect her.”

“And why the hell would you trust him to protect her?”

“I don’t. But I trust that he also has an interest in Lexie, and he’ll protect that." He turned to Vacek. "Do you want to explain it or should I?”

Lexie looked between them and wondered how much Aiden had told Vacek.

It wasn’t like she was scared of people knowing she was partially Eldirtch anymore. On the contrary, she was proud of it. But she’d always thought that Aiden would hold that card close to his chest, if only to protect Lexie and to protect himself. 

“Your father tells me that in your time in the dungeon, you created a soul card that helped you bond with an Eldritch and get some powers from them, and that affected the makeup of your soul." Vacek was reading her reactions as he spoke, and Lexie met her father's eyes.

So he didn’t tell Vacek the whole truth then.

Was that to protect her or was it to protect himself? Or was he leaving the choice in her hands?

“Yeah,” Lexie said. "I'm not sure, but I would estimate my soul right now to be about fifty percent Eldritch and fifty percent human, but I don’t truly register as either.”

“You look human if that’s any consolation,” he said. “We have some tools at the association, and a saintess who can measure your degree of possession.

“I’m not possessed,” Lexie said, and she was instantly tired of the deceit. Frankly, the whole lying thing, as a principle, no longer sat right with her, and it was one of the most annoying parts about dealing with humans. She’d rather have everything out in the open. That way, she would be able to know upfront who was her enemy and who wasn’t.

Not to mention that she didn’t think Vacek would care about this anyway. He wouldn’t care how Eldritch she was as long as she was useful to him.

Sure, she didn't want to implicate Aiden, and she wanted to keep him safe, but if Vacek proved to be a threat, she would just kill him. Simple as that.

Nevertheless, Lexie sought Aiden’s visual permission before she told Vacek the whole story.

Aiden nodded, and Lexie finally allowed, “My soul has almost always been human and Eldritch. I’m also a–” She was about to tell him she was a Chosen, but she decided she didn’t want to risk endangering Vacek and Max with the information. So she would have to tell only some of the truth. Darn. “When I was very young, I was ill. The only way to save me was to combine some of my soul with Eldritch essence. So that's what they did."

“I see." Vacek didn’t look surprised. “So that was the secret.”

“What secret?”

“Your mother. There was a secret that she would never reveal, no matter how much I asked, and how much I searched. It was something she hid even more than her heritage, and she told me that if I kept digging, she would stop working for me and go work for my enemies. It's the first time she's ever threatened me like that. Now I know why."

“Yes,” Lexie said.

“How did I never sense it?” Vacek asked.

“It was undetectable at first. Merely a hint of darkness used as a glue for my soul to hold it together,” Lexie continued. “But then the chaos grew, for whatever reason, and mixed in with my human mana. It grew even more in the dungeon, because I needed to use a lot of mana to fight off the monsters that were after me, and the combination of the Eldritch and the human made me...something different. Apparently, I don’t really register as an Eldritch or a human anymore, but whatever I am, the Oath placed on Earth is making me weaker.”

“I see,” Vacek said. “Earth’s Oath is meant to keep malevolent aliens out. That includes Eldritch, Orcs, and pretty much everything except humans and Fae. It was amended on a case-by-case basis for creatures like elves and the trolls who needed help during their refugee crisis. But it's exclusionary by default. So even though you may not register as Eldritch, you must still be registering as a malevolent alien or at least an unknown being for now. We'll probably have to evaluate and give you ambassadorial access.”

“You can do that?” Lexie asked. 

“Yes, but we might need the Fae's approval for that. Not to mention it has to be a joint decision with the other major governments in this world."

That didn't bode well. Lexie imagined that neither the governments nor the Fae would want her to remain on Earth.

“What are the exact words of this Oath?” Aiden asked.

“You want it in it’s entirety?” Vacek asked. “Do you know how long it is? Really long.”

“I need to know," Lexie said. "I made a land card that should help anchor me to a dungeon, and I also bound my Eldritch mana there. That should have bypassed the Oath entirely. I want to know why it’s not working.”

Vacek blinked. “How did you even make something like that?”

Lexie was starting to get tired of the question.

“Magic,” she answered

Vacek wasn’t as amused as her father had been. 

“We’ll figure that out,” Vacek said. “In the meantime, Lexie, the Fae are extremely interested in you, as I have already said.”

“Why?”

“Well, one of the reasons is that you’re the first creature to reliably teleport out of a dungeon. Not just yourself but other people as well. No one, not even the Fae, have managed that.”

“Really?” Lexie asked. “It wasn’t even that hard.”

It had only taken winning nearly seventy levels, defeating countless monsters, having her brain split open once, testing her soul card numerous times, risking being lost within space and time, and essentially making a deal with a dungeon.

Yet, with all that, it was still difficult to believe that the Fae, as ancient and plugged into the magical lifeline as they were, had never managed something like that. Especially given how vast Fae magic really was. Human magic had only achieved a fraction of that so far. How had none of them figured out teleporting out of a dungeon before?

"There’s also the fact that a Fae Luminary’s daughter keeps saying your name," Vacek added wryly.

Lexie perked up. “You mean Zu-Lo-Ya? How is she doing? Is she back with her family? What about Ryn?”

“She’s fine. She draws you a lot. Ryn-Byul-Fo is currently with the Ambassador, and I assume they will make contact with Zu-Lo-Ya soon." He sighed. "The third reason they might want you is that we feel that you can help us with the Alchemist and Vulcan, who are becoming a bit of an interplanetary problem.”

“Ah, yeah,” Lexie nodded and smiled darkly. “I’m looking for Vulcan, too. I can help with that.”

Her smile made the three men look at each other in apprehension. 

“The Fae might make a lot of demands of you, but they can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do,” Vacek said. “The Earth’s Oath specifically states that, which is why they give us so many concessions for a Lightlark. But with you–”

“You want me to go to Planet Fae so you can get more concessions?” Lexie wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

“No,” Vacek said instantly. “You’re staying here on Earth. The problem is that, given that you’re not completely human, they might argue that you fall under their jurisdiction, and they will likely fight us for it. Lexie, there…” he released a breath. “There’s a whole history between humans, the Fae, and other colonies. A history that I can’t get into with anyone except you.”

“You’re not meeting her alone," Aiden said. "And believe me, I'll know if you do."

“I'm not asking to meet her alone. I’m just saying that maybe we should talk about it after you bring her in for the evaluation. I’ll make sure it’s just us there, and whatever the results are, it will only be between us.”

“I don’t trust you," Max said.

“You mentioned. But unfortunately, you have to.”

“Okay,” Lexie said after a single thought. “But can I come over later? Dewie and Xena are on their way, and I don’t want to miss them.”

“Are you sure, Lexie?" Aiden said. "You said you were feeling weak?”

“Maybe, I'm just feeling too human for my liking, but I can handle one night of weakness,” she said. “I want to see Dewie and Xena.”

“Of course," Vacek said. "I’ll leave you for now. I'll release a press statement on your behalf so you don’t have to deal with it, although, when we get our story together, you should probably give an interview at some point to get the rest of them off your back. I'll gather some reputable stations, and we'll see how it goes. Sending it over for your father to read right now. But overall, I’m so happy you’re back, Lexie.”

“I’m happy too,” she said, and as Vacek walked out, Lexie anxiously awaited the arrival of her best friends.

She watched the clock on the wall, reminding herself of the concept of time. Of seconds, passing by, then minutes, then hours.

As Emma and Luke came back and asked questions about what happened, Lexie counted two hundred and fifty seconds.

Then someone was banging on the door. Well, two someones.

Her best friends.

***

Tate was walking by himself on the edge of the lake when he heard a voice out of nowhere.

“Going somewhere?” 

He spun around to see Aiden behind him. 

“How did you know where I was?” Tate asked.

“I walk here when I need to clear my head, too. I've seen you do it a couple of times. I also have a psychic tag on you.”

“You do?”

He nodded. “Why did you leave?”

Tate shrugged. “I figured three was a crowd and you would want to be alone with your daughter.”

“Well, there are about ten people in there right now, so I don’t know about three being a crowd,” he said.

He shrugged. "I mean, Lexie obviously wanted to talk to you without my being there."

“Are you sure that’s it? You could have just waited in your room.”

“It’s not my room anymore, is it?” He couldn't keep the snark out of his voice even though he hated himself for it. Hated that he was acting like a child. He hated that he cared. Hated that he was so petty that he would begrudge a father finding his daughter, jealous of the bond they had, the strength of which Tate would never be able to replicate with anyone.

Of course, he was happy Lexie was back. They were all happy.

But Tate felt a little...

Well, whatever. It didn't matter how he felt. He was stupid for feeling in the first place.

It was just that...maybe he'd gotten too used to it just being him and Aiden. And when Lexie showed up, it was like Aiden forgot about everything else. He almost left Tate behind in front of the tower. They'd barely looked at him when he left.

It was whatever.

No one had cared much about him his entire life. It was stupid of him to think anyone would start now, especially when they'd only known each other for less than a year.

Aiden walked to him and put his hand on his shoulder. Tate shrugged it off, but Aiden put it right back. 

"Look at me."

Tate sighed and finally looked up. 

“Remember what I told you, the day before Lexie disappeared, when I was making you eggs?”

Tate thought about it, the memory vague.

“You were not a replacement for Lexie,” he said. “You could never replace her. But…she doesn’t replace you either.”

Tate’s eyes widened. Aiden squatted and stared at Tate.

“I meant every single word I wrote to you in that letter," he said. “And I don’t want you to leave. On the contrary, I would hate to have you leave."

Tate looked away, not wanting to hope. "There's no room."

"I can make room,” he smiled softly. "I'm an alchemist. If I can make a human body, I can make room."

Tate didn’t want to hope. He didn't want to be disappointed. Better for him to leave and cut it off before it got too deep.

But he was so tired of being alone. 

“Come on,” Aiden said, straightening and steering him in the other direction. “Let’s go home.”