Just like that, Rufian’s posture loosened up. A wholesome smile found him, and he walked over to Clover reaching his hand out. “My condolences,” he said formally. “I didn’t realize how much you were suffering, or even entertained the possibility of being manipulated by your own flesh and blood. I should know more than most how barbaric Clave is. His reputation resembles that of a demon spawn, and I expected the offspring of an accursed woman to be no better. But then there’s you, a complete contrast to the equation. A variable if you will. I am truly at a loss for words, but if you would like to consider wiping the slate clean, I am all for it.”
I smiled, content that Rufian could put aside his vendetta to show empathy toward Clover.
With her good arm, Clover exchanged the same gesture and shook his hand. “Thank you.”
“You could make up for all of this further if you give us the location of Pixie. We had a run-in with her recently, and we’d love to take back what she’d stolen from us. It’s a relic of utmost importance. Belonging to my great grandmother, you see… Of course that is, if it won’t be a burden for you? After all, Clave is dead, and you are going to disengage with his associates, right?”
Clover chuckled. “I have no problem ratting out Clave’s friends.”
“Bad blood between them, too?” I asked her.
“Yeah, you can say that. They don’t respect me as much as they respected my brother. Even made fun of me for not being as willing to shed blood as frivolously as them. Doesn’t matter. I don’t seek their approval, and they don’t validate anything in my life, so their opinions mean nothing to me. The three of them are bunking in this hideout just off of Macadi, a few miles south from Bebet Mountain.”
“And you’re positive Pixie will be there?” Rufian asked.
“Yeah. Along with Lanette and Gam.”
“Splendid.” Before I could blink, Rufian made me hold my breath. With a strong tug of their handshake toward him, he drew Clover to his iced fist, piercing her neck clean through with the spear he materialized over his knuckles! I was numb from the head up from the sudden itch he had to kill her, my breath shaking in terror.
“I'm sorry for your loss, Clover,” he said softly, offering her a twisted smile. “But you won’t be alone. Hopefully in the afterlife, Clave would be a better sibling to you…”
“The fuck?!” I barked, jerking Rufian’s shoulder back and forcibly releasing Clover from his grasp.
“The trick is to cut off her air supply,” Rufian said as her throat began to close up with ice, Clover’s body dropping on the floor. “Once you do that, she cannot smoke out…” He turned to me, proud of what he’d done. “Good job earning her trust, hero! It was an excellent plan.”
“You piece of shit!” I grunted, tossing a square punch at his jaw. Rufian’s head flew back, the power in my shot tossing him and his glasses on the floor.
He was lucky I’d disengaged my Enrage mode, or I would have knocked his head clean off his shoulders!
“Fucking hell,” I gritted my teeth, while Rufian tried to pry his body up. But he was stunned. It was the first time I’d attacked him, the betrayal evident in the way he stared at me with that disappointed expression behind his eyes. “What is your goddamn problem?! We were supposed to get the information out of her, not kill her!”
He wiped the blood from the corner of his lip and finally converted that hurt to heat. He was furious, Rufian now on his feet glaring at me. “You misunderstood the assignment,” he grunted. “We are to annihilate The Deo guild, not form feelings for them!”
“Since when was killing them part of getting the fucking prism?!”
“Since it meant that innocent lives would be saved!”
“The hell you care about fucking fae!” I retorted. “You’re just looking for an excuse!”
“When has your perspective of these criminals changed? You were ready to kill Pixie and Lanette when they were doing what they do each and every day! Just because Clover served us a sad story doesn’t mean that she isn’t a part of the problem!”
“She just coughed up the location of her teammates, you idiot!” I growled, and then brushed past him, storming my feet forward to Clover. I reached into my inventory for a healing potion and then crouched down to her, using the heat from my blaster to melt the ice.
“She is gone,” Rufian said with a deflated voice. “There’s no surviving that.”
“Fuck you.”
“Silas, we really should get going, and—” I swatted his hand off my shoulder and shouted, “Don’t you fucking touch me! You’re just like Clave! I was so fucking desperate not to have seen it sooner. You’d do anything to get that goddamn book! It’s all you care about! You don’t care about Jezz, you don’t care about this war, and you don’t care about the dungeon core! I’ve got my eyes open now, asshole! And you’ve shown me your true colors! There’s no wonder there’s a fucking bounty on your head. So you can kiss my ass! We are done! You can secure that book on your own!”
He sighed. “Silas, I know you’re furious but—”
“No, I’m fucking livid!”
“Why jeopardize our mission for some girl?!” he barked back at me.
“You just don’t get it, do you?” I chuckled as I shook my head disappointingly. “It’s not about some girl. It’s about your morals. And I can’t walk around with someone as heartless as you!”
I leaned over and picked up Clover’s body, walking my way out and leaving Rufian behind. I tossed her on my shoulder with plans of giving her a proper burial.
Because a girl like her deserved better than to rot in a place like this.
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
I just wish I had some type of confirmation from her…
A word, a sign, anything…
Alzera-Kar’s quietness was making me so damn tense. I wasn’t sure if I was being steered in the right direction or if I was just wasting my time here. But this codex, these ingredients…they’re not easy to get my hands on, which meant this must be all worth something, right? That the Grimoire was a valuable tool that could help me in this journey, and it’s not just some weapon for fae domination.
I felt so lost that I didn’t know where to turn next. As I sat down on a rock in a deserted plain, my eyes stared down at my metal fingers caked with dirt and mud. I’d just buried Clover, the hill of earth still fresh in my mind. Thinking about what Rufian did made me furious, how someone I’d traveled with could just end her life like that off of sheer impulse! The thought made me curl my fists up with rage. I get that she was rolling with her brother for years, but couldn’t he tell that she was a victim? His vendetta ran so hot that he couldn’t think logically anymore. Clover was an asset to our mission now that her brother was dead, and disclosing the Deo’s location wasn’t the only thing she could have helped us with.
The harsh winds blew hard, the cold creeping up my bones. I needed to figure out my next move. Now more than ever, every second counted. The more I thought to myself, the more the idea of heading to the hideout alone made sense to me. If I showed up before Rufian did, I might be able to get my hands on the prism.
But then what? Without the other ingredients, there was nothing I could do. Well, besides fight the bastard and rob him blind.
I wasn’t above showing that asshole what I was made of, but unfortunately, I needed him to execute the spell. Going out there and finding another arcane mage was out of the question. There was no one in Mavriel I could trust…
“Hmm, maybe Maxi could help… I know she’s no arcane, but… maybe she can at least fix the ingredients together, right?” I sighed. “Shit, who am I kidding? As much as I hate that bastard for what he did, I need him.”