A Concept of Apathy

Chapter 4

“Great doesn’t mean good, it only means widely known.”
– A warning passed down to children

I screamed, more out of surprise than pain. I was fairly sure I was in shock, as my leg did not hurt. I looked down at the blood and ruined bone splintering from my shin, and then back up. Above me I found one of Kaeo’s parents, holding a sledge hammer, and looking deeply annoyed. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust enough to see it was her father, but that is not what scared me.
He didn’t see her, but I did. Behind him was Madam Lie, and she looked pissed. I had never seen her wear anything but patients and smiles, but right now her face was a twisted mixture of rage and grief. Her form seemed to be trying to unravel, only barely held together. In that moment I wondered if she was not a lie, but rage.
“You will pay.” A voice hissed from everywhere around me, and Kaeo’s father spun around and took a step back. He swung with the sledge hammer, but that passed through her form as she made a knife appear in her hand.
“NO!” Kaeo said from outside the room, the door looked to be open although I had not noticed that till now. She tried to run into the room, but her mother snagged her and pulled her back. I heard her crying, and I wanted to go comfort her.
“What is going on?!” I pleaded, although no one seemed to take note of me.
“I thought I told you to go spirit.” I heard Kaeo’s mom hiss through the door. Madam Lie did not respond, but instead the world changed.
“Today, you have made a mistake.” That same ever present voice said. “You have hurt my ward, and conspired murder. By my findings as a concept made by High Binder Duewoe, I find you guilty. You may surrender now, or die.”
“NO!” I heard Kaeo scream again, although I could no longer see that.
Around me, I found a blank white room, and heard footsteps behind me. I tried to twist, but it did not work very well. My leg protested, so I gave up trying to turn my body and laid down to see.
There I saw Madam Lie walking towards me, her face back to that pleasantness that I knew was currently a lie. She came to stand by me, looking at my leg, and grimaced. She let out a sigh, then sat herself next to me.
“I am sorry Young Master, my attention was not fully here so I was only able to get them to hit your leg.”
“What’s going on?” I asked, looking around this new room. It had no features at all, only blank and white.
“It seems that a group of people are trying to murder you.” Madam Lie mused.
“And what is all of this?” I said, gesturing at the room.
“Me.”
“Could you elaborate?” She sighed at my question, but started to gesture around and talk.
“Me, was not inaccurate. I am one of the purest concepts currently in the world, Young Master. Your father is a very skilled mage, and thus was able to make me. My concept is True-Lies, not as strong as just Lies, but I doubt anyone could summon them.”
“So what can you do?”
“Illusions, know when lies are told, tell lies everyone will believe, create sensations for people, and make objects although they don’t last for long as they are merely lies.”
“So am I in shock, or are you stopping my leg from hurting?”
“A bit of both if I had to guess.” She mused, leaning back onto a tree that had just appeared. I did the same, and braced myself for my next question.
“Did Kaeo know what they were going to do?” I got a long pause from her after this, and felt her looking at me although I could not meet her eyes.
“I think only partially.”
Well. Well. That hurt. I wanted to cry, to scream, to. Hurt. Something. And yet, all I could do was lean against the tree. Madam Lie put an arm around me, and I leaned into her. She was warm, and I was not even sure that was true. She looked up at the sky, and the tree started to change. The further up it went, the more it became transparent, and above us she made the night sky.
It was brilliant, shining. There was in effect no light pollution, and with a new moon the sky looked brilliant. I looked up at it, and let myself feel small. It helped me, for some reason. To know that my problems were not that big, in the face of everything.
“I’m sorry.” Madam Lie said, and my hand clenched.
“You can’t do anything. You saved my life, you have nothing to apologize for.”
“Do you want to talk to her?” She softly asked me.
I took a long time to respond, or maybe no time at all. Time had barely any meaning to me right now. Did I want to see her? I wanted to hear her part of the story, to know what was going on. I thought we were friends, that… I had no clue. She only partially knew, so maybe she didn’t know they aimed to kill me?
She did keep screaming no, although that had stopped but that was likely due to Madam Lie. Was that at Madam Lie against her father, or at her father against me? Then again, she did not shout that to wake me up. Had she seen what her father aimed to do? She was clearly moved out of the room, so maybe not?
“I think I would.” I whispered, and Madam Lie let go of me, standing up. Once again the world changed, and I found myself in a wooden chair at a beautiful wooden table. The room around me was brilliant, furs and paintings lining everything, and a fire burning keeping the room warm. I sat for too long it felt like, but my mind was betraying me so it was likely not that long at all.
The chair at least had arm rests, which I took full advantage of. I would have walked around, but when I did try to I got the feeling of disapproval from Madam Lie and gave up. I sighed, instead leaning against one of the arm rests and fidgeting with a quill that was on the desk. There was a chair on the other side of the table, and I presumed that Kaeo would show up there.
I kept waiting, and eventually someone did show up. Their face was blank as they were in a robe that left after images in my eyes. They wore a pointed hat, much like that of a stereotypical wizard. Against the desk they rested a staff that looked to be an evershifting ocean. In other words, my father had come dressed for war.
“Are you okay?” He said, looking at me with eyes that were burning blue.
“Roughly. My leg is really messed up.”
“Madam Lie, if you would bring my wife?” He called, and although it sounded like a request I knew an order when I heard one. Shortly after, my mother appeared. She was dressed in leather armor with bones and plants hanging off of her, her eyes burning green. Her hair was braided with bones and beads in it. She held a staff made of bone which branched at the top like a tree that had lost all its leaves.
“Are you okay?” She said, rushing over. When she saw my leg, her face twisted in rage.
“You can’t kill them.” My father calmly said.
“Says who? Look what they did Karios, look!” She moved her hand over my leg, and it almost immediately felt better but nothing changed.
“I know, I know, but they will deal with worse than we could do.”
“I’m not sure of that.” She hissed, then her face hardened even more.
“I can’t heal this Karios, they used some concept to flood the leg, there is nothing I can do here.” She turned back to him, keeping a hand on my shoulder.
“Then we will amputate the leg.” He said, still looking calm. He started rummaging through his cloak and pulled out a paper. My mother looked down at me, expression softening.
“I’m so sorry, my child.” She sounded close to crying. “Are you okay with this?” She gestured vaguely, but I got the idea.
“Will it not heal?” I asked, looking at my leg.
“No, I don’t think it will. It is too messed up.” She said, grimacing.
“Okay, do it.” I said, sighing.
My father came to my side of the table with two pieces of paper, and looked at my leg. He turned to look at my mother, who dipped her hand into a bottle and traced a line on my leg that stayed where she marked with a soft glowing line. My father looked over to me, face still blank and turned back to my mom.
“Sooth him.” He said, and turned back to my leg. My mother placed a hand on my forehead, forcing my head up so I could not see my leg. Suddenly, my upper leg felt lighter and I could not feel my lower leg. I heard a dull thump on the ground, which greatly disturbed me. I then saw a flash of fire, and my mother murmured something and a green light gently shined then faded around my face.
I was finally allowed to look down, and at the knee I saw nothing. My right leg was now a cauterized stump, and I didn’t know how to feel about it. My mother then took a small bone, and it started to grow. It eventually looked like a leg with a foot attached to it, and she put it against my leg. Another flash of magic from my mother, and my father put a paper on the intersection between bone and flesh. The paper burned, and the bone started to feel like my leg. I could not feel anything but pressure, but I could move my leg and foot.
My mother smiled at me, tears in her eyes, and laid a hand on my forehead once more. Magic bloomed again, and I fell asleep with my father picking me up.

***

I next awoke in my house, Madam Lie sitting next to me in a chair that had been dragged across the room. I groaned, my leg felt like hell. My leg felt like hell. No, there was no way that happened. It didn’t make sense. I ripped off the covers from my leg, and found one of bone staring back at me.
I sat there, staring. I dimly was aware of Madam Lie putting a hand on my shoulder. I wanted to scream, to pace, to hit something. The feeling passed, it usually did. Well, perhaps pass is the wrong word, I simply found no reason to do anything at all. So instead I sat there, looking at a false leg that seemed to mock me.
The door opened, but I didn’t look away. It sounded like both of my parents, as they were both talking. Or maybe talking to me? In front of me one of my parents put a wooden tray with food on it, but I couldn’t bring myself to care I was hungry.
Eventually, likely hours later, everyone left. Even Madam Lie, and I sighed. I took the tray off of my bed and put it onto my desk, and got dressed. I froze once again when I saw the ring on my hand, but I couldn’t bring myself to take it off. I walked out of my room, and down the stairs. I stumbled twice down them, but did not fall. The new leg was a pain, but there was only so much I could do about that at this point.
No one stopped me or called for me to stop as I opened the door. I had a destination in mind, and once I got outside I began to run. It did not last for long, perhaps two steps, and then I was thrown to the ground. I rolled over and looked at the sky for a beat, before getting back up. In town, there was a prison. If Kaeo was not in my house, she would likely be there. If not there… her house? And if not there… We would cross that bridge when we came to it.
The walk did not feel long at all, although my perception of time was not functioning very well. I kept going, and eventually got to it. To call it a prison was perhaps a bit much. It was the only other building besides my fathers tower that was fully made of stone. I had met the warden of the place before, although to say I knew her was a bit much.
I opened the solid wooden door with a grunt. Inside I found the office and greeting room, with the warden sitting behind the desk doing paper work. She had short black hair. I had heard she had been with the military of the country, and some practices never left. She wore chain mail, and on the left side of her face she had a ragged scar that was surrounded by burn marks.
She looked up, and gave me a smile that looked very forced. I did not return the courtesy, instead limping up to the desk. She did not miss the limp from the look of things, and her face hardened ever so slightly.
“Anything I can do for you little Duewoe?” She said in a gruff voice. It seemed too deep a voice to come from someone who was all sinew and bone in my opinion.
“I’m looking for Kaeo.” I said. She looked a tad bit unnerved, but nodded.
“Follow me.” She got up from her seat with a grunt, and restrapped her sword which was leaning on the desk to her hip. She unlocked the door into where the cells were. She walked with me, and I saw both of her parents still asleep in separate cells. Both of them had dozens and dozens of shallow cuts all over them, but I paid them no mind. It was the third cell we came to, and the warden looked furious. After all, there was an open cell door, and no Kaeo in it.
“Did you know about this?!” She hissed at me, and I shook my head.
“Why would I ask to see her if I knew?” I asked, and that seemed to mollify her.
“You need to run along. I have work to do.”
I gave no answer besides limping out, which seemed to suit her just fine. Once I was out of the building, I let myself react. I wanted to scream, but resisted. My sight flared, and everything became thousands of concepts interwoven. I didn’t call on it, and I wanted to shove it away. But, well, there was a thought. I looked at my ring, and pulled at the thread of connection. There were only two lines running from it, one to me and the other into the forest.
Well, that significantly shortened the possibilities of where she could be. I grunted as I started my walk into the forest. It was still early in the day, perhaps ten in the morning if I had to guess. Plenty of time, I hoped, before I was called back to the house. Madam Lie was able to track me if I had the needle, and would not go without it.
I walked into the forest, well limp was likely a better word for it. Although I did note once I got into the forest my limp felt better. The entire forest felt more quiet than usual, like it was trying to comfort me. That did bring a slight smile to my lips, and along my path I found a stick. It looked sized for me, and it was not laying on the ground but instead impaled into it. I would not even have to bend over to grab it.
I looked at it for a long moment, and traced my finger against it. Eventually I took it, and had a walking stick to limp along with. It helped, and the stick felt like it had already been dried out. It was a gnarled piece of work, the bark a light gray, and where the bark had fallen away it had no good color to describe it. It just made you think of walking, of travel for an obscenely long time.
I started to hum to myself, a light and happy tune. I seemed to be largely going uphill at this point, and the forest seemed to be clearing my path more than usual. I looked up at the sky as I continued, sighing.
“Thank you.” I told the forest and then went back to humming.
I got no response besides the chirping of birds. I started to hear something rushing, and it took me a moment to put it together. A waterfall, it seemed like. The path here seemed made of stone, and the trees were making a hallway just for me. I was still following the line of connection, and saw a girl in a light blue dress that left her shoulders bare. She turned, although if that was because of my humming or the uncanny gate of mine I may never know.
She looked shocked, and I saw her standing next to a cliff. I came to join her, grunting as I lowered myself to sit. It felt like heaven to stop putting pressure on my leg. Slowly, she sat herself down as well just next to me.
“Why are you here?” She whispered. I hummed for a long moment before answering.
“Why are you?” I said, resting my walking stick against my lap. It took her a long moment to respond this time. She looked on the edge of tears, and I waited for her to find her words.
“Do you hate me?” She said, not meeting my eyes. I thought that right now I would feel… different. Perhaps angry, or lost, but all I felt was calm.
“No.” I said, and she flinched like I hit her.
“Why?” She pleaded, looking at the drop.
“You were going to jump, weren’t you?” I gently asked, and once again she flinched.
“Yes.” She choked out.
“Why?”
“Where would I go? Both of my parents are dead, your family won’t take me, I have no one.” She started to cry at this point, it started weak but quickly became full on sobs.
“Did you see him?” I asked, looking at the sky. I did not need to elaborate on that man.
“Yes.” She wept.
“And it’s rough, I understand.” I said, looking out over the beauty of the forest from this height.
“You know, I was told he was a god. That no one actually met him, that we were not worth his notice like that.” She took a shaking breath in, still crying. “That everyone who said they had seen him, who could do magic, was lying.”
“And then you saw him.”
“And then I saw him.” She agreed.
“Why did they try to kill me?” I said, and she looked down at her hands.
“Do you know what my family trade actually is?” She tiredly told me, still crying but no longer sobbing.
“I do not.”
“Assassins. We are assassins. Someone tried to kill you, or get to your family though us. It just so happens we had a good excuse to lure you over.”
“Why not kill me sooner?” I asked, somewhat confused.
“I wanted to have you over for my birthday, and my parents do love me, I think. So they let you stay to make me happy.”
“Did you know?” She had my full attention, and she still looked at her hands which rested on her lap.
“Yes.” She said, sounding tired and sad. “Do you hate me?”
I looked at the sky for a long moment, the only sound I could hear was the river and her crying. She was close enough I could feel her warmth, and I asked myself if I hated her. I found I did not. It would not have been the first time someone who loved me, or liked me, tried to kill me. Some of them even succeeded.
“No, I don’t think I do.” I said, still looking at the sky. She slowly leaned against me and I put an arm around her. “They took poison pills, didn’t they?” I said, thinking of her parents “sleeping” in the cells.
“Yes. They told me to as well, but I couldn’t muster enough courage in the moment.” She had stopped crying, and I smiled.
“I’m glad you didn’t.” I told her, and she smiled at me.
“So am I.”
We sat there for a very long time afterwards, until Madam Lie was sent to get me. Her face darkened as she saw Kaeo, but she smoothed it away. I sighed, and helped Kaeo up. Madam Lie would be the easiest I knew, so it was time to convince everyone to keep Kaeo.

***

I was right, by the time we had gotten to the house Madam Lie was back to liking – or at least I thought, if she tried to lie I doubted I would catch her – Kaeo. Madam Lie ultimately was bound to me and wanted to see me happy. I figured Madam Lie would only keep a more careful eye on her, but one was down. There were really only two more, being my mother and father.
I hesitated before going in, still holding Kaeo’s hand. She squeezed my hand in assurance, and Madam Lie held the door open for us. Madam Lie ruffled my hair as I passed, and I took a deep breath.
“Mistress, we are home.” Madam Lie called out, and I heard a response from the kitchen.
“Ah, good. I have news to share.” I heard what sounded like cutting of vegetables, and the crackle of the fire to warm the pot.
We walked around the corner, Madam Lie first followed by me. My mother smiled when she saw me, but the expression dropped when she saw Kaeo. The knife was left behind, and I noticed the slightest green glow from my mothers eyes.
“Where’s dad?” I was going to address Kaeo in a second, but it was likely better to keep mom on the back foot. I doubted she would see me asking after dad first before addressing Kaeo, or so I hoped.
“He’ll be gone for a few months, he has a work trip.” She said this while keeping her eyes on Kaeo who began to squirm. I figured this was a good thing as I planned to have mom on my side by the time dad got home.
“I see. I presume dinner is almost done?”
“Yes, it is.” Her gaze finally strayed back to me.
“Thank you as always.” I rolled my shoulders, taking off my cloak and hanging it by the door, along with taking my shoes off. Kaeo stared at my foot made of bone, her expression not changing but one of her hands twitching.
“Why is she here.” My mother asked, although she did not bother to make it sound like a question.
“She did nothing wrong.” I said, and that got a snort out of my mother.
“She tried to kill you.”
“No, she did not.” I finished with my shoes, and looked up to meet her eyes. She looked angry, even as she calmly leaned against the doorway.
“Mistress? If we could send the children away and talk?” Madam Lie said, dipping her head in difference. My mother looked at her, the slight green glow never fading.
“You two go outside. I want you in the front yard where I can see you.” She eventually said. I nodded, and sighed before putting my shoes back on and grabbing my cloak. There was a window in the kitchen that showed the front, and I saw my mother pull them open. She also pulled some sort of white plant out with too many fronds and squeezed it. It quickly burst into a ball of light, which passed through the glass to illuminate the yard.
Kaeo and I sat on the ground in the yard. The entire thing was a small grove with dozens of different plants, all tended by my mother. It was all supernaturally green, and when we would have visitors over they all praised her work which she always took well to.
Kaeo did not look at me as she sat cross legged in front of me. She instead picked at the grass, and I looked up at the quickly darkening sky. It was nearing winter, and Kaeo did not look to have a cloak. I eventually unclasped mine from around me and offered it to her.
“Thank you.” She quietly said. She pulled it around her, but did not fasten it. She looked about to say something, and it took her a while to get what she wanted to say out. It also sounded like my mother was yelling in the house, although I could not make out the words very well. It was not for long either, and the sound suddenly cut out which I took to mean Madam Lie had intervened.
“Am I too much of a problem?” She asked, still playing with the grass.
“No, you are not.”
“You’re just saying that.” She said, shoulders visibly falling even through the cloak.
“You,” I said, lazily pointing at her, “need to get that out of your head. I know that line of thinking, where nothing no one can say will break what you’ve determined. So I won’t say anything else. You will be staying here, however, till I can be sure you won’t kill yourself.”
She flinched at that last part, but didn’t say anything else till we were called in. It was Madam Lie who did so, and I stood offering my hand to Kaeo. It took her a second, but eventually she accepted it. When I got my shoes off, and my cloak hung up, I wandered into the kitchen. My mother was no longer there, only Madam Lie who was preparing three bowls. I looked at her, and she offered me a shrug.
“She went upstairs to be by herself for a bit.” She put the two bowls at the table, and I went to eat. Madam Lie took one up to my mother, and I wolfed down the food.
Kaeo said nothing for the rest of the day, and I offered a good night to her as I went to bed. Madam Lie prepared somewhere for her to sleep, and I put it out of my mind. I was very tired, I was starting to feel, and quickly fell asleep.
When I awoke the next morning, I found mom giving Kaeo a hug, and I smiled. Two down, one to go.

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