Ink Forged

~A Matter of Confusion~

Maevus gaped back and forth between Korie and her brother, the fire slowly dying as she lowered her hands. Korie, for her part, was staring at Kinai, the normally warm hue of her skin looking drained and sallow.

"What..." Kinai frowned at his sister, looking utterly bewildered. "Korie, what are you doing here?"

"Me?" Korie yelped, making Maevus jump. "What are you doing here?"

Lox let out a small growl before he prowled into the room, tail wrapping protectively around Maevus' waist. Kinai's eyes widened at the sight of the dragon and he took a careful step backward. Maevus lifted a hand, letting a small flame burst to life in her palm in case he decided to do anything foolish.

"Why did you take the ring?" she asked, voice flat.

"Ring?" Kinai's attention shifted from Lox to Maevus. "What ring?"

Korie suddenly darted across the room toward a small chest of drawers next to the window. Kinai watched with a bemused lift of his brow as she slammed open the first drawer on the left. She shuffled around for a second, then let out a horrified gasp and turned.

The half-smile that had been on Kinai's face at his sister's antics faded slowly as she held her hand out, palm up. A diamond ring glittered in the dim light of the just-rising sun. He stared at the jewel for a long second, then looked up, his skin paling.

"That's the...the ring stolen from Baron Jeress," he said slowly. Korie just nodded.

Maevus let the fire in her palm die, leaning against the wall behind her as the siblings stared at one another. Lox settled back on his haunches, licking at his unsheathed claws. Maevus didn't understand what was going on. The evidence in front of her said Kinai was the thief. But the look of disbelief on Korie's and Kinai's faces told another story.

Kinai moved to stand next to his sister, but once more fell still when Lox spat a puff of smoke in warning. He met Maevus' eyes and gave a shallow nod. Just because he was Korie's brother didn't mean she trusted him. 

It did mean she would give him a chance to explain though.

"Korie, I swear, I have no idea why that's here." Kinai gave his sister such a steady look, even Maevus believed him.

Still...

"That doesn't change the fact that it's here," Maevus said, crossing her arms. "And I doubt some other thief just happened to leave it here."

"I'm not a thief," Kinai snapped, whirling to glare at her. A growl from Lox made him take a deep breath, though his mouth stayed an angry slash as he turned back to Korie. 

"What are you even doing here?" she asked him, hand a white-knuckled fist around the ring. "I thought you were hunting someone in Melnesh?"

"I was," Kinai replied. "I mean, I did. I found him and turned him over to the Greenies for the reward. And then I..." He trailed off, dark brows pulling together as he thought. "I needed to... There was something in Liron that I..." His breath started coming faster and he pressed a palm to his temple. "I don't remember why I'm here."

Korie and Maevus exchanged a startled glance. Maevus pushed away from the wall, Lox moving with her as she approached the Hunter. He had closed his eyes, his teeth gritted like he was in pain. When Korie placed a hand on his shoulder, his eyes snapped open, his pupils blown out and frightened. It surprised Maevus when he stared at her and whispered, "Did I steal that ring?"

"I—I don't know," she stuttered.

Kinai staggered back a few steps until the backs of his legs met the bed. He collapsed onto it, his head in his hands, his long, dark hair hanging in a curtain that hid his face. Maevus bit her lip, then tugged on Lox's string, nudging him back toward his world. The dragon turned an incredulous eye on her, his ears flattening as she nudged at him again. All that met her suggestion was a wall of stubbornness. He wasn't going anywhere.

With a sigh, Maevus gave up. She looked at Korie. The clanswoman was staring helplessly at her brother, tears bright in her golden eyes. "I have a way to tell if he's lying," Maevus offered softly.

"He's not lying," Korie snapped.

"What is it?" Kinai said at the same time.

Maevus looked back and forth between the siblings before settling decisively on Kinai. Taking a centering breath—and another, unsuccessful stab at sending Lox home—she sent her need down Medella's thread.

Sweat again beaded on her forehead as Medella leapt into their world, the spines on his back lifted in warning. Maevus sent a calming thought to him, but he just clicked his claws, eyeing the Ghostfoot siblings suspiciously. Rolling her eyes, Maevus knelt down in front of Kinai. He was glancing back and forth between her and the two dragons.

"Can I touch your chest?" she asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

Kinai nodded silently, sitting perfectly still as Maevus pushed up the long sleeves of her shirt. A soft green glow glimmered into existence around her hands. She pressed one against his chest, over his heart, the other on his brow.

She spent a moment communicating her need to Medella—trying to ignore Lox's agitated pacing—and fine-tuned her connection to Kinai. 

Looking into his eyes, she said, "Did you steal the ring?"

"No." His answer was as steady as his heart. Maevus pushed a few tendrils of magic deeper into Kinai's body and asked the question again. He repeated his answer and Maevus let the magic go.

Sitting back on her heels, she stroked a hand down the jade feathers of Medella's wing in thanks. He clicked his beak at her, then turned and berated Lox with a loud squawk before disappearing in a puff of green smoke.

"What did you just do?" Kinai asked curiously.

"Medella's a life-dragon," Maevus said, getting to her feet. Lox nudged her hand and she patted his scaly head absently. "I can use his powers to heal or hurt peoples' bodies from the inside. Used right, I can sense things like heart rates and muscle tension. That's what I was searching for. Most people have a physiological reaction when they lie. Your body's absolutely convinced you're telling the truth."

The look of relief on Kinai's face quickly melted into one of confusion and fear. "If I'm not lying, then how's the ring here?"

The only answer Maevus could offer was a shrug. Silence fell, each Encant lost in thought. Maevus stared at a scorch mark she'd accidentally left near the ceiling.

"It doesn't matter," Korie suddenly said, making Maevus and Lox jump.

"Korie—"

"No!" she nearly shouted, cutting off her brother. "Maevus proved it. You're telling the truth. You didn't steal the ring. End of story."

"It is not," he said, exasperated. He pointed at her closed hand. "The ring is here. That's the beginning of a story, not the end. We need to find out how it got here."

"How," Maevus asked curiously. She shuffled uncomfortably as two golden gazes landed heavily on her. "I mean...you didn't know the ring was here. You don't even know why you're in Liron. How are we supposed to figure anything out if we don't even know those things?"

Kinai's shoulders slumped. "I don't know," he admitted.

Again, they were quiet for a long time. 

Maevus opened her mouth to ask what they should do next, but cut herself off when both Lox and Kinai stiffened. Lox's wings flared, lightning cracking around the spikes on the tips of his wings. Kinai lunged to his feet and began stuffing things in a rucksack identical to Korie's.

"We need to leave," he said just as the sound of pounding footsteps echoed through the inn.

Maevus yanked hard on Veena's thread at the same time she directed Lox into the hall. As the crimson dragon bounded out the door, she whirled to Kinai. "Can we get to the roof?"