Ashton leapt down landing in front of the dual delegates. Without a word they all knelt, still daring to wear his feathers after accepting Alaina's influence.
Neolani remained near the nest, ignoring the jubilant foxes. Each member of the delegations wore a long, red feather tied to sashes around their hips. Quickly assessing the groups, they should be friends… those had to be Ash's feathers… but something was off. Even kneeling they didn't give off the aura of subordinates to their leader.
"Great One, we've come to pay our respects and to continue our oath," Lolani announced with his head still bowed, Nix may be upset that they traveled with Alaina's proxy, but they still had the siren.
Ashton narrowed his eyes, "It appears I've gone soft, or you have grown bold. Claiming to continue, the oath that you broke? I saw with my own eyes, your allegiance has changed.
You enjoyed my blessings, grace of the sun, but take orders from the sea, harm my Beloved. Defend yourself now, or more than life I will take." Ashton almost couldn't be bothered with even speaking to them, but a few more moments for them to understand, he could spare them that.
Lolani raised his head, "Nix, we've kept her safe, she remained behind of her own free will. We live on islands, we didn't think Alaina would use our offering to attack you."
Ashton closed his eyes, 400 years was a long time… long enough for his Beloved's champions to become her prison guards. The golden feather pulsed for only a moment, a silent moment of support. Ashton opened his eyes, with a placid smile.
"Ru you're so wicked, Ru you're so cruel, but that's exactly the reason, why you still rule. So let me borrow that cruelty, let me copy a page, draw on your insight, to punish when betrayed."
Lolani stiffened… there were no records of Nix submitting to another… the name Ru… he shared a glance with his distant relative Vaha. By all records… Nix should be easily persuaded. "My Lord, the siren's name is Tavita. We dared not for her to leave with us, even to answer your call."
"Your mission was this, to keep her content, to honor all that she wished. In return not just my blessings, not just my grace. But you stand here before me, a slap to my face. Fine, you thought me long gone, thought the Sea would rise up. So let me take it all away. Not just my blessings, not just Ru's grace. More than my Beloved's kindness, everything under the sun, I will erase."
Lolani leapt up, pulling out a coral knife, "Nix, to protect her… you must have four of us willing to open the passage. Not even you can break in without killing her." The knife wasn't a threat, it was part of the key to opening the passage.
Ashton watched the two groups merge their defenses, "You must have forgotten, or they may not have told, after accepting my fire, you traded your souls." Ashton informed tilting his head as the golden feather started to shine.
Lolani and Vaha didn't dare to attack, this was not going at all according to plan… this should have been enough to convince Nix to return with them… especially since they had tried to get the Siren to leave several times. Over the last several decades no one had even seen her. Now only pictures remained to describe her beauty and importance to Nix.
"Lord Nix, what we said is true, we have not even laid eyes on her in our lifetime!" Vaha add as the blue eyes turned silver, then gold. The smaller figure didn't even bother to answer them as he continued to sing their doom.
"For all those who knew, those who looked on, may they only find suffering, no more grace from the sun.
For those who suspected, who at least knew in part, your wrath diminished by half, but be marked.
Then for those who benefitted from the harm she suffered, well, no need to be fierce, just end them all."
Three simple sentences… that's all they heard. Vaha stared in horror has two thirds of their men stilled… then with a breeze they disintegrated into ash. Before he could register that twenty men had lost their lives, he was forced to his knees beside Lolani. Nix had a throat in each hand.
"Nix… we didn't… break the oath…" Lolani gasped out. He'd dropped the dagger to try prying off the fingers choking him. He was so focused on the hand… it wasn't until he saw Vaha steaming that he registered pain elsewhere.
"My oath law yes unbroken, but the spirit defaced. So from heir of the sun, this curse for your race.
For each betrayed faith, each kindness taken for granted, your people will suffer, the sun will now sunder.
Each cruelty now branded, deeper than skin, each depravity shown by all of the kin.
I take more than blessings, I take each ray of light.
Until the day of amends, your kin only to live in the night."
Ashton tilted his head as any skin of the remaining men's flesh started to melt under the sunlight. "You accepted my fire, enjoyed my grace, but you forgot, it's mine to control." Ashton didn't bother to listen further as he ripped their spines from the melting flesh. He felt Ru's delight at the carnage even as his power receded.
Aaron shuddered as he barely kept his last meal down. The torn flesh and bones were… moving. Becoming part of some kind of blood spell. Red circles separated the bones to create a grotesque… door frame? Silver mana circles gathered up the melting, torn, butchered flesh for the doors. The most horrific sight… Ashton's beaming smile while the remaining men screamed, crawling toward the trees, under the wagons, anywhere that could hide them from the sunlight that was now like acid…
Ashton separated their flesh, bones, soul, and mana to create the four. Then he picked up the dagger and cut the doors open. The blood dried as the doors swung back. Ashton ignored the three women cowering in the conner of the lavish room. Pillows, goblets of food, jewelry, jars of wine scattered around the room but none of that held his attention. A white gauzy curtain cut the room in half. The final barrier keeping him from his Beloved.
Ashton held out his arms, "Come little Birdie, come my Beloved, come my most precious, fly safe to my arms."
Aaron couldn't help but notice that even with their flesh melting, the surviving men stared through the door when the female voice answered.
"Nix I am hurting, Nix I'm so sad, Nix they betrayed me… Nix they're so bad." The voice was delicate, soft, like bells that soothed the soul.
Aaron felt his heart clenched in anguish, wishing he'd been the one hurt instead.
"Fly little Birdie, Fly my beloved, know you will be safe, safe in my arms." Ashton didn't move but coaxed her.
"Nix I'm in chains, Nix I've been bound. This cage is so big, but I can't hear a sound. I've been begging to fly, begging to be free, yet they torture young children to guilt help from me. I wish I was stronger, I wish I could leave, but the more I resist, the more death I see."
"Beloved there are no chains, none you can't break, that cage is so small, the world you can take, I've opened the door, so fly now, come soar. The children are lost, their people forsake. No need to be stronger, don't let your heart break, you are so beloved, my soul yours to see."
Aaron held his breath as the curtain shifted. He couldn't see past Ashton's body, but the sound of… wings?
Ashton smiled as he caught the little bird to his chest. "Hello my Beloved, so long without hugs, so long since I've seen you, so long without love."
Caius tensed, Aiya, he couldn't see!!! Aiya, what kind of bird? All he could see were long, white tail feathers! Blasted island people! He'd thought it was going to be a fish!
"Nix you're so slow! Nix you took so long! Where have you been, what happened to your song?" Beloved nestled as far into his arms as she could. Trying to burrow into his stomach. He was so cold… so small… her poor Nix.
Ashton sighed as he started to pet her back as he turned away from the door.
Aaron almost let out a breath of relief… until the room beyond the door caught fire… the three cowering women opened a door that had been hidden only for silver flames to pour down and over the first woman who had opened the door. Along the first woman's screams… were the screams of what must have been… hundreds of people… when the two women further back tried to flee to Ashton's door it was slowly shrinking. Aaron watched as the first woman tried to throw herself through the closing door… only for her flesh to be separated from bone… absorbed to further widen the now closing door with the last woman inside.
Ashton sighed as he continued to sooth his Beloved, "I was too slow, I was remise, believing in people who I offered gifts. That mistake I make once, my lesson is learned, now Beloved little Birdie, now they all burn."
Caius was finally able to see this love rival… kind of. She looked like some breed of pheasant. Her body fit neatly in his Little Snack's one arm while the other continued to pet her feathers. Her tail feathers on the other hand… dragged behind his Little Snack reaching the ground. Okay, objectively speaking, she had pretty feathers… Caius looked at his red, white, and golden fur… unfair advantage to the bird…
Beloved cuddled Nix, even after she felt him lay out in his nest. As much as she wanted to fly, to feel the sun on her feathers, right now… she just wanted cuddles.
"Come my Beloved, come rest in my nest, there's more days to ponder, for now let's not guess. Just enjoy the day, take light of the sun, dance in the winned, remember of fun." Ashton laid out in his nest, Beloved on his stomach.
"Nix… I trusted, I trusted in them, I could have run… but when would it end? I want to hate them, I want to loath, wish I could cast aside, such pathetic hope. I knew they were cruel, I knew I was used… but I had no where to go, no home to choose." Beloved buried her face in Nix's featherless body. Nix didn't answer with words, he just started to whistle familiar tunes. Beloved snuggled in, later. She would think about it later.
Ashton waited until his Beloved had settled in, their soul fires subtly mixing, then he glanced to the groups. They didn't dare leave, but they weren't sure if they should stay. "I'm not expecting any other visitors today, though…" Ashton deliberately glanced over the imperials, "Many of you would benefit from some more time in the sun." Ashton then went back whistling while petting his Beloved and fixing her pure white feathers.
Caius kept low to the ground as he circled the nest. Aiya, were they not going to speak of that bitch's influence? His Little Snack confronting her? This new beast? What happened to the island people? Aiya! Gossip was the source of all happiness!!!! Caius dramatically flopped onto his side with a great huff… another sleepy bird!
Ashton didn't hide his smile as all the smaller foxes gathered around their patriarch to tease him. What a good day to be alive.