I carefully opened the door and peeked out. Marcus is already leaning against the wall next to the door. "Everything went well?" he asked, looking cautiously at the people passing by him.
"Charlie has already returned, just as we agreed, and I know where Vale Teyber is." Marcus and Steven walked beside me, each from one side. Good thing that Teyber knows we're coming, this is stupidly striking.
"Do you have a plan?" asked Steven a few streets away. Thoughts of my friends seem to have left him. And he took a break from all provocations in his tone, for a while.
"The plan is to bring him in for questioning," I replied after a moment of thought. I don't have a plan, something always goes wrong even with the best plan. So why bother. And I still don't know what to expect.
"And that's it?" he wondered.
"Well, if you don't like it, you can wait for me in the Palace or with your own trustworthy friends."
"Don't be mean," Marcus admonished me with a laugh, I bet he'll end the sentence with some crap. "the plan, of course, is to get back in one piece. As always."
"Speak for yourself. I only need Teyber alive," I corrected him. I walked past another house, turned around and stopped. "Didn't he say it was a fortress? This looks more like a badly fortified villa."
"I'm surprised he was able to get a coherent sentence out of himself after he got high," Steven commented and silently crossed his arms. Marcus, on the other hand, was already taking a breath. He certainly doesn't approve of the fact that we opened the box in the first place.
"Keep it," I turned to him to stop the flow of words before cloud let them out. "When I want to be preached, I'll go to my father." to prove that I'm not interested in his words, I added to the step. I love Marcus, I love him a lot. But he is not my father, and he has no right to lecture me as if he were. Not even Stephan fits that category.
The villa in front of me is protected by a low wall, no security, nothing. I'm sure it's the right place, I just can't believe the villa really is as deserted as make itself look. Every time something looks this innocent, there's a ton of trouble waiting on the inside.
I stopped just outside the wall, it's a little taller than both Steven and Marcus, so I guess it's a little over two meters. "You said the guy's lunatic."
"He's a madman, all he leaves behind is a havoc and a pile of corpses in a pretty miserable state. There's a thick folder about him in Dithune. I'm quite surprised you don't know about it."
"Just sum it up on the most important thing. I need to know what to expect on the other side of the wall."
"Basically, he's been chasing immortality for years, and I'm going to be really surprised if he is here. If there's one thing he does better than killing, it's escaping. He disappears at the first sign of problems. And if possible, he will try to avoid direct confrontation. So his security guards are waiting for us there, but not him, that is, if there are any guards left." he summarized. Like Damien, he gives me desperately little information.
"That's just perfect... there's only one way to find out if he's here." I pulled myself up on the wall, threw my legs over and jumped down. In the small garden behind the wall there is not even a foot. It scares me more than if I fell amongst armed soldiers. It's completely desolate here. I don't see birds, I can't hear insects, there's not even a hint of a breeze. Everything natural and ordinary has disappeared somewhere. It feels so artificial. Something here is just wrong. The atmosphere around is strangely calm, peaceful, maybe too much. It forces me to calm down, surrender to that place, to stay, while forcing my stomach to contract painfully, attacking my temples and forcing me to get out of here. And it reminds me of something strikingly. It's a perverted imitation of A Dun'Amanh… it's just wrong. Valle must truly desire immortality. Mire than I could ever think.
"Andrea?"
"It feels wrong, I know, Marc. Just watch out for everything. And if necessary, get rid of him, I'll find him even after." the door to the building is firmly closed, but if someone is really waiting for us, they will certainly not mind if we open it ourselves. With that thought in mind, I knocked the door out of the hinges. A shower of debris sprinkled the floor in the hall. "Actually, when I think about it, don't hesitate. Just get rid of him." Maybe it's the pain, but I really don't feel like playing with that shit.
I took a deep breath, there's not the pleasant sweet smell of magic, just the musty scent. However, the calmly botched atmosphere continues to surround us. And it continues to exert its weight on me, pressing on all parts of my body. So the basis of anything that's going on here is not old magic. This is an unpleasantly scary thought. If this can be done with simplified equations, we're heading into a whole new mess. "Marc, search the lower floor, we'll go upstairs," I said quietly, I believe I don't have to tell him, but I added anyway. "Be careful. Whatever moves, cut off its head."
Marcus nodded, treading carefully across the hall, disappearing from our sight in one of the rooms a short time later. I let my sword reappear and went up the stairs. I expected them to creak or make another disapproving sound, but all I got was a grave silence. A shiver ran down my spine. I have such a nagging feeling that it's just the silence before the storm.
"No one is here," he whispered behind me. I can't agree with him, I clearly feel that someone or something is with us here, I just can't name it.
"Don't be so sure." the rooms on the upper floor are divided between two corridors, the two of us will have to split as well. "Steven, the same goes for you. Don't wait, whatever moves, get rid of it," I said quickly before we split up.
I chose the corridor on the right, I always take the right one without a good reason. It's more of a habit. I peeked into several rooms, all of them looked quite ordinary and all empty. I heard loud bangs from the floor below me, we really are not alone here. I have to check the other rooms faster, much faster. I walked through several bedrooms, a small study and a library, but I did not find anything interesting. The corridor in front of me splits again, I turn right again. As I am approaching my destination, the strange atmosphere has intensified. At any moment I will get to its source. It could be any of the doors in front of me.
I exhaled slowly and closed my eyes. It shouldn't be hard to find the source of that energy, I just need to focus on it. On that weird, fucking version of what I'm supposed to protect. At first it was just a small hint, like a spark in the dark. I just need to concentrate on the tiny but of light, I need to get to it, make it into a flame and get closer to it. I felt myself moving towards the glow.
I looked around. It got me to another study, a little bigger and scarier. The table in front of me is flooded with documents, the pages scattered over each other do not look like systematic research. It's more like someone left them in a hurry. Like Teyber was here, but isn't anymore.
I looked up from the table, the scene in front of me took my breath away. There's a frame scribed by the long equation, it's just about the size of a wide door and I'm sure I know where it will lead after activation.
I'm not even sure what exactly got me off, whether it's the pain that's ingraining all over my body with every breath of that unpleasant smell here or that ugly frame. Everything Teyber is trying to do here. My hand simply picked up the nearest book and threw it at the opposite wall. What the fuck is he up to? Destroying my world? The next book headed in the same direction. With the same dull sound, it hit the ground. What's his master plan here? He cares about A Dun'Amanh. And immortality and probably my family. Only the papers on the table can confirm this. And I need proof.
Proof somewhere in the scattered papers. How hard can that be?
Steven was right, Teyber isn't here. The bastard disappeared again. And he left only pieces of papers here. The notes on the desk are carefully sorted, hinting at what he's trying to do, but I can't tell if the rest of his work isn't here or if he didn't get to the very end. There has to be something. I buried my hands in the pile in front of me, looking for something related. I throw unnecessary papers to the ground. I found a few pages that are numbered, but sadly don't lead anywhere. They only confirm the fact that he is trying to find a way through the Barrier. Through the thing I swore to protect, with my own, endless, immortal life. I put the numbered papers back on the table when I noticed something that made me stop frantically rummaging through the papers. I threw away a few of them, picked up a letter with a blue seal. If I didn't expect anything here, it's a letter from Athran. What is it doing here? Why? How?
With a trembling hand, I opened it. I prayed in my mind that it would be some kind of official document, subpoena, arrest warrant, anything that would explain it. The nervousness seemed to intensify how badly this place affects me. It makes my head spin.
There are only numbers – 7 – 13 – 6. That's all. I folded the paper back and hid it in my pocket. I don't know what to make of it. The message was sent by Edgar, I know for sure, I recognized his handwriting and the stupid blue letter paper, but why? Does he work with Teyber? Would he do that?
I can't get myself to keep going through the notes on the desk, to look for where Valle has gone, to take care of any of it. What in the name of my very own grandfather does Edgar think he's doing? Why would he do that? Not only is Teyber not on our side, he's a traitor, ready to make a hole in the Barrier to prove himself right. That's about the worst thing I can think of and he's a part if it?
I'm terrified of just thinking about what Teyber's success would mean. It would jeopardize the entire Legacy and everything we worked on as a family. Everything Edgar helped us build. Is he trying to stop him on his own? Lure into a trap so he can't escape? That's the only logical conclusion, isn't it?
I'm trying to make myself believe it, but I have a bad feeling. Like I'm lying to myself. I have to stop Teyber as soon as possible. This is the only way to prevent the madness on the table and to purify or convict Edgar.
I need to hear Teyber's side and pretty fast. And ask Edgar what the fuck he thinks he's doing.
A loud bang brought me back to reality. I left everything on the table except the letter, I also left the strange frame behind, I ran out the door and other sounds followed. I need to get to Steven and make sure he's safe. He's somewhere close and struggling who knows what.
I ran down the hall until I found him, a creature approaching him. Same as the one we've seen together before, with that hunched gait and chilling grunt. So it's the idiot's fault. And I let him get away. Fuck!
Steven swung his sword and missed.
I gasped in horror. My heart stopped for a moment. I had never seen him miss before. What just happened? How? What am I waiting for?
I moved over to him and ended the fight with a decisive slash. I turned around and pulled him behind me with my hand.
"I'm fine," he said quickly. I'll have to trust him, I don't have time to check on him, other adversaries have come to us.
Ready to attack, I straightened myself up with a sword in my hand. The grumbling undead are not our only company. A small figure emerged from behind the corridor. It's not Teyber, I'm sure. I didn't have time to figure out who it was. A blast of magic flew out of the hand under the hood at the last moment I lifted my shield and covered me and Steven. I dropped the shield as soon as the danger had passed and went on the counter-attack, my glowing ball shot out of my hand, but slowed down before hitting its target and vanished harmlessly. That's also new. Most mages don't fight like that. Not back home. So I decided that it would be much easier to get the person with my sword than to risk another surprise attack. On my way to it, I got rid of two undead.
"Left!" I heard his warning.
I had to turn around with a sword in my hand to cover the attack of approaching claws. I separated the creature's hand from the rest of the body, took a step back and finally neutralized it.
I looked back at the person. The last thing I saw under the hood was an ugly smile. A strong blow swept me away, blew me up and sent me back a good ten meters. I heard Steven's voice, I couldn't make out a single word. Sideways, I hit the sharp edge of something hard, felt a crunch and then a piercing pain.
The whole corridor plunged into darkness. Maybe the whole world. I didn't realize that I had hit the ground until a few moments later. The impact took my breath away and clouded my thoughts.
Cold ground is the most pleasant thing I've come across here so far. I want to force myself to catch my breath and open my eyes. To no avail.
I'm almost certain I have broken ribs. Crushed, quite possibly all of them. Definitely on one side. Breathing narrowed down to a painful yet necessary activity. My mouth is full of the metallic taste of my own blood, from who knows where. And I can feel it's getting worse.
But I can't just give up like I used to. I have to remind myself that nothing like that can threaten me. Steven is the one who is always in danger. Which I got him into again. This is another of my brilliant plans to protect him.
I struggle with a trembling head and pain that does not allow me to breathe. Along with the taste in my mouth, it takes me to a completely different place, at a completely different time. Even the cold floor is pretty familiar.
And the fact, I can't see his face. Just the grin.
Maybe it's not the injury that I can't catch my breath. I couldn't see under the hood. Not quite.
So where do I get that certainty?
Maybe this is the inevitable end I'm running away from. Maybe he finally found me again. He let me come to him.
And now I'm just his again. A little toy. Broken. A suffocating, gasping toy.
"An!"
That doesn't sound like his captivating questions. Doesn't he wants to talk to me? He found a new way of torture. The one he always talked about. One that would be worse than the inability to breathe.
A lot worse.
He could take him from me.
Steven.
I have to do something before he gets to him. Before I lose control of my own body.
I didn't lose consciousness. I can still breathe. I just have to release the pressure. It's not him who does it, but me.
I have to order my own fingers to loosen the grip. Release them one by one. And take a careful breath. He's not here. Neither he or Valle Teyber.
"An!"
He can't be here. He would bring with him much more pain and despair. He doesn't call me back to him. He's not trying to choke me. He can't.
I need to quickly sort my thoughts and open my eyes. What the fuck is wrong with me. I can't always give in to that fear. I survived worse injuries and endured worse pain. What am I so scared of?
I gritted my teeth tightly and forced my eyelids to pull away from each other, looking for Steven. A group of beasts clung around him. There are too many of them to handle them one by one. And the hooded figure is also inexorably approaching him. Who is it? And where do all the undead come from? Why do I keep slacking off on the ground when he's there with them?
I tried to stand up, only to find that I couldn't do it. I probably didn't have enough solid bones left to lift the muscles around. And even if I succeed, I can't get to him in time, I can't help him in any way. My only option is to get him back to me. All I need is a simple spell.
I just have to force myself to concentrate. Any spell I can cast. I need runes... draw them... one by one.
I raised my free hand, the one I don't need to hold together on my crushed ribs. It takes a lot more effort than I'm able to put in.
The flow of my thoughts has broken. Bright light illuminated the entire hallway, from the dirty floor to the white ceiling. It comes from exactly where Steven stands. The nearest undead simply disappeared in his glow, another light half burned and the others were thrown away far from him. The hooded figure collapsed to the ground a moment later. Only Steven was left standing.
I gasped in surprise, quite painfully. I let the only rune I managed to draw disappear. For a long time, I have never seen anyone just create such a powerful spell. Actually, no one I can think of except my family and his. But I didn't expect him to do it just like that. Steven just sent them down as if it wasn't anything. He stands there as if nothing is at stake.
I know he's powerful, but this far exceeds all my expectations. Edgar gave him more than I knew. Then he probably suspects. Not only does he surpass other mages I know, but I'm sure he can match me. Well, he could. He can't just put the Light itself in his pocket like it's nothing - maybe with a little training. He's not as defenseless as I've thought all along. On the contrary, he is deadly to his surroundings. I inexcusably underestimated him.
"Anie!" he ran to me thoughtlessly.
"I'm fine," I repeated his previous words quietly. Somehow I lost my voice as I tried to strangle myself. And I'm still in shock at what I had just seen, so it's a terrible lie, I'm not fine, in any sense of the word. Steven effortlessly pulled me back to my feet, I almost screamed in pain when he did it, he left his hand around me so I wouldn't fall back to the ground.
"That looks pretty painful," he said, but I don't know if he's talking about my ribs or the fingerprints of my own fingers on my neck.
"I'm... you... how?" I got out of myself, he left me completely speechless. I looked at him again. Pleased with himself, he smiles. He is not at all exhausted. Just injured. The torn skin on the arm looks menacing. One of them scratched him pretty badly.
"I told you, you needed me," he explained with a triumphant smile. The deep wound undermines his words, but he continues to amaze me. I should stop the bleeding. I have to stop it, but my thoughts are only interested in what I've just seen. It revolves around everything that has happened. It puts him in a whole new light. It also partly explains the incredibly green colour. Jonathan seems to know what he's doing.
"I think… you're the one who needs me now," I relaxed my hand and looked closely at the wound. It's much deeper than the one he last earned because of me. The blood also flows out of it a lot faster and makes me even more worried. We have to go back. I can't determine the extent of the injury in the dark, and I'm not in a position to fix it. I can't even fix myself properly. I transferred the weight to my own feet, took off his hand, and forced him to hold on to his own wound. I don't have enough strength to keep it under the right pressure. Or any pressure at all, I can't even hold my own body together. "Keep your hand on it as firmly as possible. We have to find Marc and get back."
I was disturbed by a rumble. Again, a sword appeared in my hand, a figure appeared behind Steven. A young woman with light hair and an absent gaze hid behind one of the columns supporting the ceiling. It's not the look that betrayed her, but the surrendered posture to which she no longer belongs. "Steven, get back,"
"Wait, she's..."
"She's not," I interrupted him sternly. I quietly complemented it with an insult. I don't want to hear his explanation. I know what it is. I'm sure he had found her in one of the rooms and taken her with him, according to the compassionate look in his green eyes. "Steven, go find Marcus and get back before you bleed to death," I told him. "Now, please," I added quickly.
"An, the woman,"
"She doesn't belong here anymore," I interrupted him again. I looked at him and back at her. It's not the first time I've seen something like this. Someone, probably Teyber, won't let her go. "She's dead, but she can't leave, she can't leave her own body." her absent gaze and light skin suggest she's been in this state for a few days. "This is terribly wrong, she doesn't belong anywhere." I took a cautious breath. It hurts unbelievably. "Please just go," I asked again. I have to follow the rules and they speak clearly. Steven can't change them in any way. I will not allow him to change them.
"Andrea, she poses no danger," he insisted.
"That's not the point, she's dead, there's no room for her. She's looking for peace that she won't find in this body. Don't you see it? She doesn't belong here, she's a prisoner in his own body," I explained quietly. Breathings becoming an obstacle. "The rules are clear. She deserves peace, not pain and desperation in this world. Not any longer." I gasped. Damn, I need to focus on one thing. My body, ideally. "I suppose you don't want to see it, just go." I slowly walked toward her.
The woman didn't even move, she didn't show that she even took note of me. She hasn't moved, she's just standing. Light skin does not fit her at all, she does not belong to it. Blue eyes do not look at anything, they stare into the void. Her hair falls over her shoulders in large waves. She's pretty, really pretty, but she's supposed to be long dead.
"I won't let you do it," I felt his hand on my shoulder, he's not trying to stop me from doing my job, it finally clicked. I turned to him, green eyes determined to end it.
"It must be my sword," I added through clenched teeth, feeling sick. Terribly wrong.
Incredulously, he took the sword from my hand. I don't want to let him do it. Steven still believes he can save everyone. I said goodbye to the idea a long time ago. But when he pulled the sword out of my hand, I didn't stop him. Not even when he slowly walked around me. I didn't turn around to check on him. And I didn't turn around, even when I heard the body fall to the ground. I just focused on not stopping breathing regularly, counting in my mind the seconds I allowed myself to lose before I'd get him out of here. It seemed to me that it took forever for him to come back to me and give me back my sword covered in blood. My body was getting into the management of the crushed bones and according to the receding pain, it's going well for me, he's slowly losing color. So I thanked Marcus in my mind when I heard his footsteps approaching. "Take him to Kate's," I asked my muscular friend. "I have to go to see the others."
The hall looks so much more pleasant than the hole from which I got here. I just can't shake the feeling that the place has left traces on me, which I will get rid of only in a long, hot shower. If at all. I looked around, Thalus is sitting at a long table with Edgar. "Thal, please get me Stephan."
"What do you need Stephan for?" Edgar got up from the table, the letter in my pocket is suddenly so much heavier. I'd love to go straight into it, ask what the fuck he thinks he's doing. Is it strange to see him here, he hasn't been coming out of his Study for the last few weeks and suddenly he's back? It's hard to believe it's just a coincidence.
"You should go check on your son, he's with Katherine," I said in a cold tone. A hint of concern flew over his face. Without a word, he disappeared. Nice to know how to get rid of him.
I was left alone in the hall for a while. This gave me the perfect opportunity to try to connect my broken ribs and breathe again. At least a little, it will still hurt tomorrow and maybe a day after.
"How can I help you, my dear?" Stephan appeared next to me. He stretched out his hands to me protectively. It's a nice gesture, I thought for a while about rejecting it and then I let him catch me. "What happened?" he gently touched my reddened neck.
"I panicked, Stephan. There was a hooded figure and I hesitated. It took my breath away. And I panicked." I whispered my explanation to him, it seems easier to me than to admit it all out loud. "I thought it was him. I thought he had found me."
"But it wasn't him," he whispered back. "You made it. You're back..."
"Only I didn't." I straightened up again to see his face. Letting go of him is somehow harder than ever. Stephan frowned anxiously. "Steven, Stephan. He stopped everyone in that house. He, he is,"
"Same as you?" he suggested with a smile. "We knew that if he's half as much as his brother, Athran is expecting a pretty significant addition." as usual his not far from the truth.
"I hate when one of you is right… I must ask you to return to Dira'K with Thalus instead of me. I don't know what's going on there, but something is wrong there. Terribly wrong. Teyber disappeared, leaving behind some notes and a substantial part of his research. He seems to want his own door to let him into A Dun'Amanh whenever he wants," I explained quickly. He's the perfect candidate to check that stine frame. It's also he who was involved in lifting the Barrier. And he understands the thing better than I do. Better than anyone alive.
"Of course, I'll take care of it." Stephan is always very polite and speaks in the same way, so I'm never one hundred percent sure what he really thinks. He doesn't look the slightest bit angry. He doesn't feel as ambitious as the others, but it's just a mask. For example, his own mansion is as ambitious a project as the old one. "Do you want me to talk to my brothers?"
"Please," I looked into his light brown eyes and added. "Tell Damien to find Teyber again and bring him here as quickly as possible. Athran has information about the maniac. And let me know if he needs help. And when you talk to Jon, leave out that I broke my ribs, please."
"Anything else?" I thought about the letter I found. Will they find any more there?
"No, that's it."
My next path is clear, it leads to the infirmary. I need to ask Edgar directly about the letter. Not that I expect an honest answer, but I have to find out what he has to say about it. I hope he has at least some plausible explanation. And I want to know what he decides to lie about. Maybe he's just trying to find Teyber himself and lure him into a trap. After all, he is supposed to be on our side, he has worked with us to preserve the Legacy and he has no reason to try to betray us. Or does he?
I don't even have to open the door, he's waiting in the hallway. Probably Katherine banished him there. He must be pretty angry. "Is that how you imagine his protection!?" he said, as soon as he saw me. "You're going to take him on one of those stupid trip of yours! We agreed that you would make sure he was safe and you would instead put him in front of a horde of monsters! Are you out of your fucking mind!? Do you think he's just one of your soldiers!?"
"You've made a deal," I said in an icy calm voice. "I didn't say anything."
"And that entitles you to try to kill him!? Are you fucking insane?" he threw up his hands angrily. The dark jacket curled, he immediately began to adjust it.
"Edgar, your son is not a little kid! He makes his own decisions. And he decided to go. You know how powerful he is. And you gave him you're stupid crown yourself, damn."
"You know how dangerous Teyber is."
"Not really, but you could."
"Me? This is all on you," he unbuttoned the high collar on his shirt. For the second time, he is dressed as if he were in the South, not the North. He changes before my eyes, his habits and behavior. He doesn't act like the old friend I knew so well. Maybe, I just don't understand him anymore. A lot has changed over the years.
I pulled a crumpled letter out of my pocket and showed it to him, seal first. "I suppose it didn't get to Dira'K by a mistake with your seal on it," I said. Edgar's expression hasn't changed one bit. I know that he is very good at pretending and usually does not initiate others into his plans. This time he should make an exception. "Couldn't you just use someone else's ring? Leave out your fucking paper? Since when have you been so careless? You know Damien is looking for him and you haven't said anything! And what the fuck are the numbers?" I spouted my questions at him faster than I could think it through. He shrugged his shoulders in silence. Damn, if he said something, I'd know he was lying, but like that? "Edgar, if you've gotten into something, you have to stop it immediately."
"I didn't get into anything," he said just as coldly.
"And how do you explain the seal? Did it fly into the shit hole they pass off as a city? Do you understand what that looks like?"
"Well, what does it look like?" his gaze slipped to the paper for a little while. "You want to accuse me of something, and your proof is a paper with numbers? You're putting your energy in the wrong places."
"If you want me to get Steven out of it, you could stop adding to it. What if he had found the letter and not me? How do you explain this to the last son you haven't lost yet? I'd really hate for anyone to know about this," I hid the letter back in the safety of my pocket. "But I'm not going to lie to my family, for your sake or for his. So I really hope there was only one and they're, as you say, just numbers."
"It's just a letter, it doesn't prove anything," he said calmly.
"We both know it's not true. You're in a position where you have so much more to lose than I do." in addition to his position and his family, he's in real danger of losing his powers. If only he had decided to betray my family, he will lose everything. "Jonathan's friendship won't save you this time. Do you understand what is at stake here? The Barrier is untouchable. Something will happen and heads will fall."
"So now you're threatening me?" he sneered. I didn't know he had threatened me until now. They were rather feeble attempts at intimidation.
"No, I'm just telling you how it is," I looked him straight in the eye. They're so much like the Emmetts, but I can't trust them one bit. "The power we can take from you will be nothing compared to the complete loss of trust of your own sons. Choose whose side you are on while you still can."
"I don't have to choose anything," he laughed with a cold laugh. "I will always do the best for my family. Just like you. And right now, we each have our own family that needs to be protected. We all have our own allies." the door behind him opened, he didn't notice. "I'm just not sure if it's you right now. If you've ever been! You're doing everything for your fucking Legacy and what's the point?" he yelled again. "I shouldn't have asked you for help at all. You can't get over your Immortality and the power you think it gives you. None of you are invulnerable! You're supposed to serve us for fuck sake and take care of the power of others, and you're doing neither! You can't lead it here, you just bend your Light while everything around you is falling apart! You couldn't protect our world then, and you can't do it now!"
"You didn't ask for anything. You're just setting conditions and I'm tired of it!" I raised my voice. I can't stay calm with him, I've never could've. He always pisses me off. "Even as a member of the Senate, you still serve the Heirs, whether you like it or not! You're serving me!" I cried out angrily. Steven shook his head. He should also decide who he trusts. "You follow what I tell you, not the rules you made up. It is not the other way around and never has been. Do you think you've accomplished anything when you got among us? You're still Jonathan's obedient pet! Do you think you can change anything yourself? You have no idea how our world works and what keeps it going. You have no clue how the other worlds work! And you don't have a striking clue what the Light actually means! It's not politics or business! You don't understand half of what you're getting involved in. So don't try to get involved in things that don't concern you! Either you're on my side or you're up against all of us. And you really don't want to stand against the Heirs!"
"It's still better to try something yourself than to wait to see what you do! You can only talk about everything!" he returned to me immediately. "You're the Child of Light, but so far you've only started another war and you don't even know how to fix it,"
"Stop it," Steven stood between us, "both of you." Edgar just stared at him in silence for a moment. As if he had lost his carefully prepared words. "You're getting upset for nothing, Dad," Steven tried to calm him down.
"You're not innocent, Andrea. You have a lot more blood on your hands than I do!" he ran both hands into his hair. "You've always had. You don't care who gets hurt, especially if you protect his fucking Legacy and for what? I've already lost one son because of this, I'm not going to let you go that far. I didn't..." he shook his head desperately at the sight of his son. "I shouldn't have let you in at all," except for his bandaged hand, Steven seems perfectly fine. Maybe just upset by our little quarrel. And after what I saw today, I know for sure that I can't do it without him. Edgar's paranoid - even if justified - fear has no place here.
"You can't throw that at any of us. You know damn well what happened then. You know the rules I follow. You knew what you were asking me to do." I stopped screaming. Just like Edgar. Steven can't change the subject of our argument, but we are both a bit calmed by his presence. "I gave you my word. Nothing happens to Stevene, as well as to Emmett and Luke. You know what? Fuck you Edgar... I didn't even kill Catarina, and I really wanted to. Don't pretend we've traded your family for our Legacy. You've become a part of it all, along with your family, not for me or Jon, you choose it. You can't back down now and blame me for your choices." I concluded. Edgar knows that if I have a choice, I won't break my word. None of us. So what's his point? "I know what I'm doing and how to do it without breaking the rules. You should do the same or stop meddling."
I don't even know if he's still listening to me. He just stares at his son. "I'll be fine, Dad," Steven said.
"Not at all, you should be more careful," he turned back to me. "Much more careful." and he disappeared with those words.
"Perfect… truly."
"Why is everyone telling me to be careful?" with a smile on his lips, Steven stood where Edgar had just stood. "I saved your ass today."
"I know, my ass appreciates it," I smiled too. "but my ass is also immortal. You should be much more careful."
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