#so now mikhail looks bland beside her

[bunderbye]

Wanted to show off the texture/details of these two lovely Drakengard dragon companions. 🐉 💕

Which was sadly lost in the printed versions. But was really fun to draw! :’)

I also wanted to get pop out fancy with Angelus’ scales, because I drew Mikhail first, and made his flat. So I wanted that visually appealing variance.

[welcometophu]

Into the Split: Havenhill 5

Twinned Book 3: Into the Split

Havenhill 5

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Nikolai expects to leave the next morning. He’s so used to being on the move that he packs as soon as he’s awake, before he even considers testing the promise of hot water in the bathroom. As soon as he twists the tap, though, he knows that this is pure luxury. He calls for Seth, and they stand under the high spigot together until their skin is shriveled like prunes. While it’s tempting to indulge in something physically and emotionally intense, it feels more decadent to linger over soft touches and kisses, helping wash each other with hot water and sweet smelling soap. There are soft, clean towels on the bed when they are finally done, and Nikolai thinks that someone must have come in while they showered. He doesn’t mind though, accepting the towels and the clean clothes as the gifts they seem meant to be.

Holding the clean clothes in his hands, Nikolai takes it as a sign. They aren’t going anywhere. He didn’t need to pack.

They take their time getting dressed, then pulling all the dirty clothes from their bags, spreading them out across the bed. There isn’t much, and what they do have is in terrible shape. When Ethan arrives, he puts everything in a basket and leaves it outside the door. “Someone will get it cleaned for you,” he says gently. “We’ll make sure you get new if you need it, and repair what’s ripped. You have time. You’re not going anywhere. You’re home.”

Less than a day after their arrival, it’s still a difficult concept to assimilate.

Ethan brings them down to meet the others for breakfast in a room off the kitchens. There are several long tables in the room, enough to fit three or four times as many as are in the room. While it’s a crowd for breakfast, at least it’s all people Nikolai has already met—the ones he arrived with, and some of the ones who brought them in, or met them here. The newcomers all group together, Nikita sitting at one end of a table with her wrapped ankle propped on a chair. They seem quieter than the day before, as if the idea that they are staying is slowly seeping in.

It seems that decisions have been made while they slept, and they’re all going on a tour of Havenhill.

Mikhail leans close to Nikolai. “You and Seth will be with me in the Jeep,” he says.

Nikolai nods, willing to go along with this decision. A tour of their new home seems logical, he’s happy to let Mikhail adult in his stead, and besides: right now, there is food to focus on. There’s a plate of bacon on the table, and he reaches for it, dragging it close enough to pick up several slices for himself and Seth, adding it to plates already full of sweet pancakes and fresh fruit. He can’t remember when he last had meat that wasn’t caught fresh, cooked gamey and tough and bland without seasonings over an open flame. Salt and fat explode in flavor on his tongue. “Where’s Josef?” he asks around a mouthful.

“He and Amaranth are working on cleaning out the office so you two can sleep there if you want to stay with us,” Mikhail says. He’s done eating, his plate pushed away, and he watches with a small indulgent smile as Nikolai reaches for another small stack of pancakes.

There’s fresh butter again—sweet, creamy, and slightly salty—and Nikolai slathers it on thickly. He doesn’t need the maple syrup, but he’s amazed at the presence of the sweet treat even though he knows that all of these are resources that should be easy to create in a self-sufficient commune. It’s just the idea that this community has everything in place, that it’s real and safe and functional. It will take time to adapt.

“Seems like someone may not want to join the tour, though,” Mikhail adds, nodding at where Val sits with Pawel.

“Yes,” Val says firmly, her voice rising as she looks at Pawel. “You will come with us. You can spend time in the library tonight; we’ll be back long before dinner. You all need to see this space, and see what we do here. You don’t have to rush, but eventually you will need to make a decision about how you will contribute to Havenhill. While we are happy to host you here in the house while you settle in, there are other options available. So all of you should join us on the tour today.”

Pawel opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. Mac’s hand curls over his wrist, dark skin against pale where she touches him. Pawel closes his mouth and sits back, pulling away from Mac to cross his arms.

“We’re happy to help as long as we’re here,” Heather says with a smile. The sense of calm is faint, and Nikolai doesn’t think he’d feel it if he weren’t so in tune with Seth’s use of his empathic Talent.

There’s a low growl, and Alaric drops his fork and knife on the table. “Let’s go look then,” he mutters. He turns to Heather, glaring daggers at her, but she ignores him.

Nikolai is torn between wishing he understood the undercurrents these people brought with them, and glad that he doesn’t.

It’s easier to breathe after they’ve split into four separate vehicles to caravan through Havenhill. Genevieve sits in the front of the Jeep, chatting with Mikhail, and Seth and Nikolai are in the back. It rattles alarmingly when it starts up, shaking as they roll out behind the minivan, a sedan, and a truck Nikolai doesn’t remember seeing before.

Seth’s hand finds his, and that makes everything easier. Riding in a vehicle is still strange to Nikolai. The world passes by so quickly outside the window, and he sits, glued to the view, as they drive down the long road and past the lemon trees that mark the first grove. It’s light enough now that Nikolai can see small houses off in the distance with winding drives leading to them, both in the woods off the private road, and more once they reach the main road.

Some of the houses on the main road are large, pushed back like they were built back when humanity was a single concept, before the Split. Nikolai watches and he can recognize lines of citrus, like the growth rings around a tree, and he can guess that they are the different groves that have sprung up as Havenhill has grown.

“You’ll be safe here,” Genevieve says, and Nikolai wonders if she mistakes his silence for nerves.

“We hope so,” Seth says quietly. “We’ve been trying to get here for years. We don’t plan on leaving.”

“You won’t need to,” Mikhail assures them.

They travel slowly through the town, like a parade. Nikolai sees other cars at random intervals, occasionally parked in driveways or on lawns. Nowhere near as many as he remembers from his childhood, but more than he can remember in the possession of Talent since he was a child. He spots people as well, from older folks out working on their houses to small children playing. When they drive by the school, there are lights on, and Mikhail slows down.

“All of the kids go to school until they’re sixteen, then they have a choice whether to continue or not,” he says. “It’s a bit more one-room schoolhouse than it was before. No specific higher learning, but we do work with tougher subjects on request, using textbooks we’ve scrounged and collected from before. It’s hard to teach engineering without Calculus. And we need to continue to train engineers. We treat everything like an apprenticeship in the end.”

Nikolai blinks, shakes his head. He doesn’t even know what Calculus is.

Mikhail makes a small, displeased noise. “I forget how young you were when everything fell apart.”

“That only means you’re old now,” Seth retorts, a small smile tilting his lips.

“Feels like it sometimes,” Mikhail admits.

The rest of the caravan turns left at the next crossroads, but Mikhail turns right, heading up a small incline behind the school. There are houses in a neatly arranged neighborhood here, and when Mikhail makes another turn, Nikolai sees Amaranth and Josef on the porch of a blue house, waving.

Mikhail stops in front of the house rather than pulling into the gravel drive. Genevieve rolls down the window, and Amaranth leans on the sill.

Seth unbuckles his seat belt and slides closer to Nikolai. “You okay?”

Nikolai lifts his arm, helps Seth tuck himself in close by his side. He lowers his head so he can press his face against Seth’s curls and inhale the scent of the sweet shampoo they both used that morning. “We smell so clean,” he murmurs, even though it doesn’t answer the question.

Seth twists in place, reaches up to touch Nikolai’s face. “I’m still in shock, too,” he says.

There’s a rich crackle in the air, and Nikolai sits upright, presses back into the seat. He half expects to see lightning, despite the clear skies.

Mikhail doesn’t seem bothered, reaching for something from the floor. He passes it off to Genevieve, and Nikolai realizes that it’s a radio as a voice comes from it with another crackle and hiss.

“We’re meeting at the Benford house.” It’s Val’s voice, Nikolai thinks, distorted by the radio. “Mikhail, catch up with us there or let us know that you’re dropping out of the tour.”

Mikhail glances back, and Nikolai looks to Seth, who shrugs in return.

“We’ll be there,” Genevieve says into the radio, then sets it down on the floor again. Amaranth backs up, and she and Josef wave as Genevieve puts the window up and they head out.

“I feel a little like everything’s just happening around me,” Nikolai whispers. “It all seems almost normal.” Like they’re just expected to settle in and move on. Like the new normal is easy to accept.

“It took a long time before I was able to feel comfortable here.” Mikhail speaks as if Nikolai meant him to hear, and Nikolai bites his tongue rather than retort.

Seth’s squeeze of his hand is a welcome anchor.

“What’s the Benford house?” Nikolai isn’t sure why they went by Josef and Mikhail’s place if they were only going to leave again. It was easy to go with the flow in the beginning, but now he feels adrift, as if he’s being dragged around like a child with no opinions. If he asks the right questions, maybe he can regain some of the control that he’s lost.

“It’s a house on the outer edge of the first grove,” Genevieve says, turning in place to speak as Mikhail drives. “It’s been abandoned since early in the Split, which means it’s available if your friends want to move into it. There’s another small house nearby, if there isn’t enough room in the one place.” She starts ticking something off on her fingers, and Nikolai wonders if she’s trying to figure out who’s together and who isn’t out of the newcomers.

It’s not a question he can help her answer, even if he’s got a few ideas. The only one he can answer for sure is Nikita and Heather, because they have to stay together if Nikita’s going to remain bound.

“Why was it abandoned?” Seth asks. He carefully moves back into his own seat and buckles the seat belt. Nikolai feels the loss of his warmth keenly.

Genevieve looks to her left. Mikhail’s fingers tighten on the wheel, and Seth exhales as a wave of gentle calm washes through the car.

“I’m fine,” Mikhail says. “I wasn’t here when it happened, so I really shouldn’t find it as disturbing as I do. It’s just a story by now. You might as well tell it.” He’s lying, or at least, it’s clear to Nikolai that the story makes Mikhail deeply uncomfortable for some reason.

“I wasn’t here either,” Genevieve admits. She turns to look between the seats at them both, propping her chin on her hand. “It happened not long after the Split, before the entire world turned upside down, so most folks were still living their lives, not really sure what happened. Rumor has it that it was the event that inspired Alia to create the first grove.”

Mikhail makes a small noise, waves his fingers as if to silently tell her to keep going.

Whatever she says, Nikolai can already tell it isn’t going to be good.

“The Benford family was big, a mom and dad, a set of grandparents, three or four kids, maybe more. It’s a big house, and I think they all spent time a lot of time there. The grandparents had their own home; like I said, I think there’s another place nearby. The thing is, they were happy, and involved with the rest of the Clan community. Everything was good,” Genevieve says. “Then one day, they just weren’t anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“It was like they disappeared in the middle of dinner,” she says softly. “There was a cake still in the oven, plates on the table, food half-eaten. Clothes in the wash, music playing upstairs. The house was full of life, but the family just… wasn’t there.”

“Shadows?” Nikolai asks softly. He can imagine them sneaking in through the darkest corners of the rooms, taking what they came to take, then stealing away again unseen. No wonder Mikhail finds it chilling. Anyone who’s been chased by Shadows would.

Genevieve nods. “Probably Shadows, yes. Clan being the way Clan was, they shunned the place. Didn’t want anything to do with it, and no one was willing to move in. When Val arrived with her folks, they said it felt off. It’s been offered to people moving in over the years, but no one’s ever wanted it. Everyone’s managed to find a reason to reject it, and some would rather build a new tiny cottage than take it. Even large families that would be a perfect fit.”

“Sometimes those are the ones that hate it the most,” Mikhail says quietly. “It’s kind of a legend by now, the place kids dare each other to go into because they think it’s haunted. But Val’s right; it’d be perfect for your friends. The small house stays abandoned because the two belong together. It doesn’t feel as wrong as the Benford place, but everyone seems to think both of them need to be lived in to be right. And no one wants the Benford place.” He glances at Genevieve at that, and she nods to acknowledge the information.

The Jeep bumps along the road back towards the main house. They veer off to the left, down a narrow road. It’s clear driving at first, but after a time the road goes from gravel to mud, with fresh ruts down the center. The trees hang, overgrown, branches brushing against the top of the Jeep as they pass.

“It’s been a while,” Genevieve says quietly. “No one else built out this way, either, even though it’s inside the first grove now. It’s safe.”

Nikolai feels it as the Jeep bumps down the road, a sense of desolation, and some impending danger hanging over head. He looks up into the leaves, and the way they cast dappled shadows over everything, like they are determined to bring the darkness within the grove.

Seth reaches, and Nikolai takes his hand gratefully. He understands why no one wants to come here. It’s weighing on his shoulders, and if it were just himself, he’d say to turn back. But he’s somehow tangled with these other people, and he should at least hear them out.

Even if he wonders if this might be a bad idea.

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