![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
k_a_webb“I’m going to start,” Archer said, touching the needle to Lucille’s skin. “Talk to me about something, Lucy. Tell me which one of the worlds you think your mentor is going to send you to first.”
Like he had done every time before he was trying to distract her and she did appreciate that. Breathing as normally as she could she thought about the conversations she’d had with her mentor before. “I think she’ll send me to Siaral, because, it is, apparently one of the safest worlds in the Web. When I was studying it I couldn’t help thinking it was one of those worlds they probably didn’t know as much as they thought they did. They know about the creatures, because there’s no way for them not to, but there was nothing on the magics of that world evolving, and from what Carver told me they have to. Magic cannot stagnate within the Web, because of the way it was created. All of the maps show volcanoes that he said were placed on the worlds to make certain that any excess magic had somewhere to go and there are some cities that are very close to them. Were those volcanoes to erupt something would change, even though I doubt anyone would really want it to.”
“We have them on Gaelom. There’s one near my town and it’s erupted three times during my life, so I know how the magic can effect people, but it’s not something anyone would be willing to tell the Council. You’ll find that people will look at you suspiciously to begin with, because you are a Council Walkers, until they start getting to know you. Although you were trained by the Council you don’t belong to them. Carver said you never did and I believe him.”
“He’s nicer to me than I deserve, Archer. I always questioned what I was learning, I always questioned whether the Council knew as much as they said they did, but it wasn’t until I started talking to him that I really let myself be who I wanted to be. Before that I was so desperate for the Council to be what I wanted it to be that I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Now, though, I’m going to change it from the inside out.”
“People have tried that before,” Carver said, making her jump, because she hadn’t heard the door open. “Mind if I lock it?”
“Go ahead, but you can pay for my lost custom.”
“After giving Lucy that tattoo you’re going to have enough to pay your rent for the next year.”
“How?” Lucille looked at Carver. “A Kniroch tattoo doesn’t cost that much.”
“No, it doesn’t, but a platinum Kniroch tattoo, which is your last tattoo after passing your final exam…” Carver smiled. “That is so much more than a Kniroch tattoo, love, and you are going to be paying it off for the rest of your life.”
“Thank you for that, Carver.” She wished she could throw something at him. “How did you know it was a platinum?”
“When you aren’t trusted to travel the worlds you get to do a lot of admin work, until they come to a decision. I was in charge of enveloping the letters, so I had a little peek, because I couldn’t stop myself, and now I know you really are the person I was looking for.”
“Must you always be so cryptic.”
“Not anymore. Look, I’m not going to be here for much longer. I’ve got about another three days before a warrant is released for me arrest, even though there are people who are doing their best to stop that from happening, and I need to tell you everything.”
“It’s about time.” Archer sighed. “The problem is, Lucy, that we only know so much. We’re not close enough to the leader of the shadow Council to know who he is, although we know for certain that he does exist.”
Lucille went to brush her hand through her hair before she realised it was in a bun and she only just stopped herself in time. “The shadow Council?” She clenched her hands together, knowing that Archer didn’t need her doing anything that might affect the tattoo. “What are you both talking about?”
“Most people don’t know it, but there are three Councils. There is the one that meets every tenday without the fae, who make plans they know will never happen, because once every moon they have to meet with the fae, who will do everything they can to put a stop to said plans. It is that group that is the true Council, as there cannot be a Council without the fae, even though they don’t have any power now, and you’ll find that out when you visit them.” Lucille opened her mouth. “No questions, Lucy. I can’t tell you any more than that.” Carver shrugged. “You will, in the not too distant future, go into one of the settlements to talk with the fae, as you’re one of the lucky few they will accept, because you passed all thirty-four exams.
“The Shadow Council is something you will, at some point, become a part of, but I’m not certain when or how close you will be to the leader. I have a feeling you’ll be much closer to him than I am, but it is just a feeling. You will work with the Council, the naturals, and the fae, because of who you are and the position that you’re in now. By passing all of those exams you proved yourself to more than the fae. I half wish you hadn’t, as it means you’re in a lot of danger, although I think I always knew you would, because otherwise I wouldn’t have been drawn to you. Before I came here I was told to keep an eye on you and I did – it was just closer than they expected it to be and I got closer to you than I ever expected I would.” He bit his lip. “Make me one promise.”
“What is it?”
“That you’ll come to me when the world changes.”
Finding the words to reply to that was harder than Lucille expected it to be. “I promise that I will go to you when the world changes, Carver, if I can. Should the Web fall apart I don’t think it will be possible, although I will still do my best.”
Carver smiled. “I love you.” He knelt down in front of her. “The Web, I hope, won’t fall apart, but that is a possibility if the Witches do manage to destroy one of the covens.”
“Katya will put a stop to that.”
“How do you know about Katya?”
“If I told you that I’d have to kill you.” Lucille smiled. “I met her, once, by accident, when she was in the market. She didn’t know I knew who she was, but the eyes belonged, once, to Mira. When I saw Octavius with her it wasn’t hard to put two and two together.”
“You know more than I thought you would.”
“A lot of what I know is purely thanks to luck. I happened to be in the right places at the right times, which might not entirely be lucky, if you believe that the worlds are sentient. There is a chance that Athare might be pushing me into the place that I need to be, so I know certain things.”
“Do you believe the worlds are?”
“Nothing I’ve heard makes me disbelieve it. There are certain things that the other creators have written about that make me think it’s possible, but until they prove it one way or another…”
“They?”
“The worlds, Carver. Until one of them talks to me I can’t know for certain. Maybe they never will.”
“Lucille, why would they not want to talk to you?”
“I am a Council Walker. You might think I’m different, but that doesn’t mean they will.”
“Of course they will. They’ll see the same thing that I did and they’ll be fighting over you. I just hope they don’t all try to claim you.”
“Carver…” Archer’s warning was quiet and it made Lucille wonder exactly what the two of them knew. “You said you didn’t have much time.”
“Sorry, Arch.” Carver took hold of Lucille’s hands. “Do you remember that cottage I took you to?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Good. When I disappear I want you to go there. The wards will let you and only you in, until you work out how to change that, but you’ll have to do that yourself because I don’t have time to teach you. You’ll find the things you need to guide you, if you really do want to change things.”
“Are you going to tell me what those things are?”
“No, because that would spoil the surprise.” He squeezed her hands. “If things change for you, and I really hope they don’t, you’ll be able to hide in the cottage for a time.”
“Why don’t you?”
“Places to be and people to see, love. We will see each other again, when you find me, so don’t be too despondent.”
“You are definitely getting ahead of yourself there.” Lucille told herself she wasn’t blinking away tears. “I’ll have too much to do to think of you.”
“I hope you do.” Carver bit his lip, looking undecided. “Meet me at the cottage tonight.”
She wasn’t certain how he did it, but he managed to unlock the door and leave the shop before she could conjure a reply. “Archer…”
“He’s an idiot.”
“On that we are definitely agreed.”
“Don’t ask me if you should meet him tonight, because that is entirely up to you. He loves you, that I don’t deny, but you’re going to need to be careful. You are now in a dangerous position, Lucy, and you know the secrets of a lot of people, so you might want to think of them as well.”
Sighing, she clenched her hands together again, to stop herself from doing anything stupid with them, and stared at the wall. “That was a wonderful distraction.”
“He does have good timing.” Archer sounded as though he was smiling. “I’d probably be selfish, but that’s me, Lucy. You aren’t me and you’re a much better person than I am. Do you love him?”
“That’s a question and a half.” Lucille bit her lip. “Carver is special to me, but love… I did once think I might be in love with him, but then I saw him with Azure, so I started doubting that he cared about me as anything more than a friend. How could he when the two of them were so close?”
“What about today?”
“I know.” She stared down at her hands. “He does that sometimes, normally when I’m least expecting it, and it makes me wonder all over again if maybe he does feel something more for me, but then I’m back thinking of Azure.” She bit her lip. “Why are we even having this conversation?”
“You’re allowed to be a person, sometimes. You don’t always have to be a Walker. This isn’t exactly unusual for a woman of your age, but after all the time you spend trying to pass thirty-four exams I don’t think you know what normal is, so maybe you should go to Carver tonight.”
“Maybe it wouldn’t be fair on either of us. If I go will he think that I love him? If I don’t will he think I hate him?” Lucille bit her lip again, harder than the time before, trying to stop herself from crying or screaming. “Why did he do that?”
“Carver knows you don’t have much more time when he can do this and he’s been putting it off for a long time, because he knew how much your final exam meant to you. The last thing he wanted to do was distract you at such an important time, but by making that choice he’s run out of time, and he wants you to know how much you mean to him, although he isn’t certain exactly how to go about that. By inviting you to the cottage tonight he’s putting it in your hands, which isn’t entirely fair. I understand why he did, as I can imagine doing the same thing if I was in his position, and before you ask a really stupid question, no, I don’t think of you as anything more than a friend, Lucy.”
Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.