Chapter 451

451 White Lies(Part Two)

As Tidas chuckled at Genie’s plea, Skye huffed and said; “Why does everyone seem ta care about how I talk? Tis more comfortable fer me ta speak this way.”

Tidas walked over and wrapped his hand around his wife’s waist as he said; “If it matters at all: I love you no matter how you sound.”

Right as Skye smiled softly and leaned up to kiss his cheek, Genie grinned and looked over at the wall as he said; “It’s so strange to see you two so grown up. I still remember the two of you as little ragamuffins I had to constantly chase down.. Oh, I almost forgot: I guess I can tell you now that you were right about there being fairies in the forest.”

A wide triumphant smile stretched across Skye’s face; “I know! Did ya know that the third one I met turned out to be freakin’ Santa the Claws?! I think I told ya about Celestia and Aero, didn’t I?”

“You didn’t, but Nic, Magnus, and I became quite good drinking companions while you were gone. He told me a few stories about when you two were young, and when you had re-met two years ago. Shasta and many others had quite a few gems to tell me.. I’m happy to hear that you two are leading happy lives.”

Skye and Tidas smiled with affection at him before Skye said; “Thank ya, Genie.. How’s yer life been? How’s Mei? Ya havena really told me much about her yet.”

Genie’s expression dimmed; “Recall how I had told you that she isn’t the same as when she was young? Mei’s father is the main target of the former ruling family, and the head of that family is an opposing Senator. He wants certain powers turned back over to them because of Sai’s dilemma.”

“What dilemma? Why didn’t you mention this to my Father?” Tidas asked.

“Technically I’m not supposed to be discussing it with you two, either. But since it involves Zazzy, I figured I should tell you at least a bit of what is happening. I can’t have you leaving right away after arriving, so..”

.....

Skye could feel her eye twitching as she said; “What involves Zazzy? The douchy Senator? What does he-”

“Like I said: he’s former royalty. The Toguka family were referred to as ‘The Sacred Keepers Of The Dragon’s Roar’. Which is a long-winded way of saying that they were the guardians of the texts and tomes written by dragons.”

“Wait, dragons can write? How do they hold a pen?” Tidas asked in half-disbelief.

“Zazzy reads, so writin’ isna that far-fetched of an idea. But ya make a point about the pen,” Skye replied before she turned back towards Genie.

Tidas nodded, feeling validated by his wife’s comment as she asked; “What do the Tokuga have ta do wit Zazzy? Even her mother was here in Alcon, so what’s she got ta do wit Sai?”

Genie thought for a few moments in silence like he was debating with himself before he replied; “I suppose that I can tell you that much..”

“We have kept many artifacts from the public eye, and one of them we call the Heart of Tiamat. It’s a jade carving of a serpent-like dragon, and is believed to be a depiction of the first dragon. We thought that it was a miniature statue of some kind, but it turned out to be a key..”

“A key to what?” Tidas asked.

Genie sighed; “A vault.. One that hasn’t been opened for centuries. It was the main reason that the Tokuga Empire lasted as long as it did. But when the blood ran dry-”

“Blood?! What does-”

Genie narrowed his eyes on Skye; “I can’t tell you if you keep interrupting..”

After Skye had made a motion with her hand like she was locking her lips, Genie continued; “The jade figure contained a small amount of dragon’s blood inside, which the Tokuga used to open the vault. That’s why Zazzy is so important to the Senate..”

“They want some of Zazzy’s blood to get into the vault..”

“That’s half of it, yes. I wasn’t supposed to tell you two any of this. The Senate wanted to ask you first, and throw you off kilter-”

Skye glared at Genie; “So why didn’t ya tell us from the start that ya wanted me bairn’s blood?! That’s what this is really about, isn’t it?!”

Genie put his hands up in from of himself defensively; “I swear that isn’t all. There are many reasons that I need you and your family to go to Sai...I just can’t tell you all of them yet. I know that you’re upset, but I swear that it’s for a life and death situation. Without help from you three, Sai will most likely convert back to an empire.”

Skye folded her arms across her chest with a huff; “Why the hell should we help you? Ya havena been straight wit us this entire time! And yer doin’ that shifty thing ya do when yer nervous. I’m gonna ask one final time: what do ya want wit our scaly bairn?”

Seeing the real threat mirrored in her eyes, Genie cleared his throat, then replied; “You want me to be honest? Senator Tokuga has already sent his men to try and take some of Zazzy’s blood. I had killed around half a dozen out by Zazzy’s Place. I let a couple escape to report back that you two had taken Zazzy with you, so there shouldn’t be any issues until we arrive in Sai, and Tokuga can confirm your location.”

Tidas took on the same surly expression as his wife as he asked; “And then what? Won’t he just try to hurt Zazzy there? Why should we bring her if we Know that she’ll be in danger?”

“She’s a living, breathing dragon, my boy. You two will be dealing with people coming after her for the rest of your lives, and then she’ll have to deal with it on her own.”

“Like hell she will!” Skye bellowed; “She’s family! And before you ruined it: we Were plannin’ on extendin’ our wee family of three ta four! Do ya think our human bairns will abandon their scaly sibling?!”

“I-”

“Shut it, Genie! Ye havena been honest wit us since ya showed up! How can ya expect us ta trust ya?!” Skye shouted, not caring who heard her at that moment.

Genie looked at the floor, took a breath of courage, then replied; “Because I would die for you, Skye. You are like a little sister to me, or even a daughter. I’ve watched you grow, and helped shape the kind of person you are. I could never let anything happen to you..”

“Nevermind me,” Tidas muttered, earning a sympathetic look from Genie.

He cared for Tidas as well, but Skye was special. She was the closest thing to a child of his own he’d ever had, and he loved her like one. Genie adored Tidas, but he would take a sword to the gut for Skye if he had to..

“What about me family? Ima not worried about me: tis them I worry for, not me self. To be honest, I trust Tidas to protect himself, but I don’t know about Zazzy. She had a bad experience in the north..”

As Skye told Genie about her getting possessed by Richard’s ooze, Tidas snuck off to the bathroom again. Skye was too enthralled in telling her tale to notice, but Genie had. As she finished up explaining how they had gotten Zazzy out of her self-loathing slump, Genie realized how late it had gotten.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to keep talking with them, but if he stayed much longer, then Skye would start to ask more specific questions.. Like why Tidas needed to go, and why he was insisting on her going as well. As they started to talk about Mei again, Genie fake-yawned several times as he talked.

It was mostly basic, personal questions like how her wedding was, and how the baby was doing. Since she was born shortly before Skye and Tidas had their wedding, the child was just over two now. When she started to ask about Mei’s husband again, Genie diverted the subject, which Tidas had picked up on.

Another thing that Genie wasn’t being truthful about was the fact that the vault was connected to the Catalyst legend. If they could get into the massive safe, then they might find a way to change the ending..

‘I know that she’s going to be mad at me again.. This time it might be enough for her to hate me, but I have to try.. If Skye gains all of her traits, then she’ll die.. I hope that she doesn’t hate me for too long afterwards.. I still have to try: even if she never forgives me..’

As jumbled thoughts bombarded Genie’s mind, Tidas came to stand at his side, and whispered; “I have quite a few more questions for you, Genie.. Meet me in my office around noon. We’ll have lunch together and talk before my meeting.”

Genie nodded in agreement, then asked; “Who’s the meeting with?”

The scowl that flashed across Tidas’ face let left no question as to whom the person was. Only one person made him scrunch his face in such a way: Marco. Genie waited to hear Skye say something about going too, but she didn’t. Instead, she made a face that he had never seen before, right as she noticed him staring.

Skye gave him a weak smile as she said; “I know what yer thinkin’, but I canna handle seein’ him right now.”

Genie quirked an eyebrow at her; “Why? If you don’t mind me asking?”

Skye shrugged, unable to remember if she had told him about her dreams or not, and replied; “Cause he makes me more uncomfortable than anythin’ or anyone on this planet. I just dinna wanna be around him right now..”

If Marco were anyone else but the Crowned Prince, then he would face justice swiftly. But with only having a single person above him in rank left him too high up for anyone to touch except for Magnus: who was under his control. There was no way around him, and going through him meant dragging the entire kingdom into it..

Genie could tell that Skye was holding back, especially once he glanced at Tidas. The confusion on his face was too genuine not to be real, and Skye’s fidgeting was a clear sign that she was uneasy. She had done it since childhood, and it was always an indication for Genie that she was troubled by something.

“I hope he hasn’t earned an ass-kicking from me, has he?” Genie asked in a voice that sent a bone-chilling shiver down her spine.

“Not yet,” Tidas said in a threatening tone, but it was nothing like Genie’s.

Skye looked at Tidas, unsure of what to say. In her eyes: Marco was better off dead. It wasn’t something a ‘good person’ would think, but.. ‘I’ll take on whatever darkness I have to ta stop him.. But.. Why do I feel like he Is Death? ...I dinna like this.. Maybe goin’ ta Sai is the right thing ta do?’

While Skye’s thoughts started to run amuck in her head, Genie started to walk towards their bathroom. As he reached for the door handle, Tidas zipped over, and said in a shaky voice; “I wouldn’t go in there if I were you..”

Genie eyed his former pupil suspiciously as he asked; “Is it not alright for me to relieve myself in there?”

Tidas smirked as he replied; “Trust me: if you really see Skye as a daughter, then nothing you see in there will bring you relief..”