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He's forgotten his name.
They give him food, occasionally. It's not very nice food. It's gruel, with sawdust, and occasionally there's a chalky aftertaste to it. On those times he feels like he wants to babble everything he knows, but that's not actually very much. He ends up talking about trees, and wildflowers, and making up ridiculousness about jewels. Sometimes he tells wild stories about a small girl with red hair who gets into everything and a soulmate who can do much better than him.
Sometimes they ask him about secrets - no, they ask him about the secret. The one about the labyrinth of the harpers.
If they're really nice to him, they untie him for an hour or two, just enough to slow the blood trickling down the side of his face.
(Sometimes they call him 'Harper'.)
***
#4
It's just after midday. But it feels like it's just after midday... again. On the same day. There's a tiny dash of blue powder around the fingernails on Kira's left hand, and that should be significant, or something. She takes the three wooden steps down from the shed where the cows were being shown, and barely avoids cow dung on the dirt path.
They're all out in a market, gathering food for lunch. Nothing strange is happening, but nothing should be happening. They haven't been on a mission for ages - right now they're just visiting Doric and Simon. She turns to see Doric just ahead of her, bargaining companionably with a store owner over bread. Holga examines vegetables off to Kira's right.
Well, everyone gets those days sometimes, right? She's probably been to this town before, and if not, she's definitely been to markets before with Doric and Holga, and it's actually pretty cool that she has! Her little family has expanded, and she has a better relationship now with Holga and Father than she used to have, especially now that stupid Forge is out of the picture.
Doric's finished with the baker. Kira skips ahead to join Doric, who gives her a smile, and tilts the basket to show the little seeded buns Kira likes.
"I got them for you."
"You're the best! Oh, wait," Kira says, looking back at the shed. "I think Father's still in there."
#11
Kira takes the three steps down from the shed, and barely avoids cow dung on the dirt path below.
Something seems familiar. But that's normal, right? Another market - she's been to markets before, especially with these people.
Holga's over with the vegetable seller.
Doric's finished with the baker. Kira skips ahead to join Doric, who gives her a smile, and tilts the basket to show the little seeded buns Kira likes.
"I got them for you."
"You're the best! Oh, wait," Kira says, looking back at the shed. "I think Father's still in there."
#35
Kira takes the three steps down from the shed, and barely avoids cow dung on the dirt path below.
....she pauses, looking at her hand.
Where's Father?
Kira feels like she's wading through porridge. Or maybe that beef dish that her father had made one time, the one with the solatia root and the pepper, that she'd tried valiantly to eat right up until Holga had sniffed it and asked him what drugs he'd been taking that day and said that she'd make dinner that night instead. She manages to forces herself to take the three steps back up again. They were together, right? He should be inside the shed?
"Father?"
She tries sliding the wooden door open, but there's a flash of blue energy, and when her eyes open again she finds herself with Doric, who tilts the basket to show her that she got the seeded buns that Kira likes.
#36 through #40
Kira manages to pull the door open a few inches, and spies what seems to be her father... but all it gains her otherwise is a boot to the chest and a massive migraine.
#58
"Doric, there's something wrong."
"Kira?"
Doric takes her seriously, at least. She's always appreciated that about the other girl. Her face furrows, and she pulls Kira aside into a break between two stalls. Passers by stare curiously at them, but Doric gives them a ferocious, half-fanged look and they move on. "I think my father's trapped inside the shed somehow. There's a blue light. A spell? I think I'm immune to the loop because I got partly caught in whatever they did to him. Do you know where Simon is?"
"He's back at the pavilion - I can go get him."
"There's some kind of time loop! We keep repeating!"
"How do you-"
#59
Kira finds herself at the top of the stairs again and wants to bite someone. She races ahead to find Doric, who's closer than Holga. "Doric! Time loop, Father's in danger, I need your help! There's a spell!"
Doric blinks rapidly. "Holga. Find Holga. She'll help us find Simon."
They run.
"No, bug," Holga says, in that particular voice she has.
Kira used to feel loved and warm when Holga used that voice. When she got older, she still felt loved and warm, but slightly patronised by it, because it meant that Holga was going to take care of whatever it was and still wanted her input - but was gently telling her that she'd missed something, and maybe it wasn't her fault, maybe Holga didn't think she was silly for missing it, but Holga still knew best because Holga was older and more experienced. Now that she's a little older than THAT, she still feels loved and warm...... and not so patronised. Because Holga has let her do more by herself now, and she's seen Holga, and her father, make all kinds of mistakes.
It's a lot easier to listen to someone when you know they respect your judgement as part of the team, too.
(The simple fact that Holga even believed her about the stupidest time loop in the world? That also helps.)
"Because Simon's too far away?" she guesses.
Holga grins. "That's part of it, but also there's an easier option. Doric, I don't have anything on me that's small and solid, do you mind becoming a turtle?"
And here's another example. Younger Kira would feel jealous and left out about Doric probably knowing why this is an option. Older Kira feels trusted, because she's pretty sure that she's figured out Holga's plan.
They go another few loops, and Kira manages not to bite anyone in the process of having to explain this to Doric and Holga another twelve or thirteen thousand times, but eventually......
#71
Kira's boot is in the doorway, Holga cracks the skull of the first guard, Kira forward rolls in under the second guard's club, Holga takes them out too, and then she hurls tiny solid Doric at her father's skull. He slumps in his chains (chains! no!).......
And all the blue shimmery crap disappears.
The grunts of pain continue around Kira while she pops to her feet and helps Doric free her dad. Doric changes into some kind of big eagle bear thing that can cradle him and run at the same time, and she and a fiercely grinning Holga run behind them.
***
Freedom
He wakes at last on an actual bed, to the sounds of quiet voices, to the sensations of a pleasant kind of numbness to the temple, and a lack of pain to other areas as well. Ah. If he's lost all his limbs, that could be worse.
He's mildly surprised to look down and realise that he actually has his limbs. They're just bandaged and he's on a pretty white bed. Huh. Must be some nice drugs, then.
"Father," says a voice with relief.
He looks up and sees that red haired girl he'd invented. He did a good job with her. Exactly the kind of daughter he'd like. Wearing a multicoloured dress down to her knees with solid leggings underneath. Kind eyes. She takes his hand.
"Kira!"
"Edgin, you idiot," says Holga, and now he has two more names. Nice. "Are you all right?"
She seems happy.
"What'd they want you for?" asks Doric, with her arm around Simon. Oh. Simon and Doric. That's right.
"They wanted to know about the Harpers' Labyrinth. I'm fine. Didn't tell them anything. They pumped me so full of drugs and whatever the hell spell that was, that I couldn't remember it. Couldn't remember anything," he says, and then he's surprised to realise he's shuddering, long ripples of fear rising up through himself. Oh. It was terrifying, wasn't it. Fucking terrifying.
Holga now looks alarmed. She hauls him up carefully, wrapping her arms around him, pressing his face against his shoulder.
"Fine, my ass," she murmurs, and though her words are rough, she's very gentle with him. "You take your time. Kira said there was a time loop. We think you were in there a few days."