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The male was worse at making friends than I was.
23
“Please, sit.” Sofia said, gesturing to the table bursting with food behind her. Conrad rolled Patricia up to the space set with no chair. Sofia sat in the sole chair on the opposite side of the table, while the six of us settled into the seats across from her. The magick folk naturally arranged themselves around Amon and I, so we sat in the middle. I assumed in an effort to show a united front.
Conrad, true to form, dug right in, piling a plate high with the delicious spread. He handed a plate first to his grandmother, before making one for himself. He, as always, was happy to make himself at home.
“Dis food looks delicious thank yuh,” he said to Sofia, as he reached for the coffee, happily pouring a cup for himself and Patricia before handing the pot to me. I felt Sofia’s eyes narrow as I took the pot from him, my fingers brushing against his. He didn’t even seem to notice.
“You do not fear her touch?” She asked Conrad, and he gave her one of his most charming, lopsided grins.
“Nah, Raven mi bredren she would noh hurt mi.”
“Bredren means ‘friend,’” Amon drawled next to me, his tone dry. He, unlike Conrad, had not touched the food. He was leaning back in his chair, one arm draped over the back of mine. He was watching Sofia as closely as she was watching him. There was clearly no love lost between these two.
“I know what bredren means,” Sofia replied coolly. Amon just smirked.
This was not going well.
“Sorcerer General,” I interjected. She turned to me, raising a perfectly manicured brow. I took this as a sign to continue. “If I may. We have come here today to ask for your help, with a very important matter that affects both this world, and the world beyond The Veil.”
She watched me with caution and gestured for me to continue.
“I understand your reservations about us. About Amon.” I said. “If I’m being honest, it wasn’t long ago that I shared the same concerns.” I glanced over at him, but I couldn’t read his expression.
“It wasn’t until recently, that I learned the truth, about what is happening across The Veil. Amon is not who you think he is. He and his people have been enslaved by the Queen of the Court of Lust, for centuries. He has only recently been able to break his court free. With the chokehold she still holds over the Dominion, we cannot show our hand, and let the world know the truth. That he is loyal to The Origin, and always has been.
“We have consulted… a, a prophet, of sorts. That has shown us the way forward, to end Ash Nevra’s rule and bring balance back to the Dominion. We are looking to awaken The Origin.” I paused, waiting to see how Sofia would react.
“There is no known way to awaken The Origin.” She said, her face a mask and her tone unreadable.
“There is.” I said, “But to do it, we need The Lens.”
She leaned back in her chair, regarding us with her discerning stare.
“You say that Ash Nevra has enslaved the Dominion. How is that possible? Why do the rulers of the courts abide by this?” I felt the air around us cool, and I realized Amon was losing his temper.
“Would you like me to explain the concept of slavery to you?” He asked, his voice dangerously soft.
“Amon, you’re not helping,” I sighed, then immediately jumped as Conrad’s fist hit the table next to me, making the cutlery rattle.
“Him noh wrong,” Conrad snapped, to my complete and utter shock, coming to Amon’s defense. Sofia, unlike me, had not jumped at Conrad’s outburst, but she turned her gaze to him. She cocked her head to the side, indicating that she was listening.
“Wi come here tuh tell yuh dat Ash Nevra is enslaving people, and yuh response is ‘how have they allowed it tuh happen?’ Talk abou’ victim blaming.” He snarled.
Sofie waited a beat, and when she was sure that he was finished, she spoke.
“First. Daemons are not people. Second, it is a fair question. This has never happened before, in all the known history of this world and the one across The Veil. How is it that she has enslaved an entire race of beings that are so powerful they have been worshiped as deities for millennia?”
I thought of Kasha’s smiling face, and how patient Dossidian had been while training me. I thought of how Amon had held me while I grieved the death of my mother and offered to plant sunflowers with me in her memory. It was my turn to lose my temper.
“Daemons are people,” I said softly, and my shadows crawled toward me, Sofia’s eyes widened slightly, the only indication that she had noticed my command over the darkness. “They may not be human, but they can love, and they can feel pain. They are people who have been enslaved and you sit there and question how? The question should be how we can end this, and what can I do to help put a stop to this incredible injustice.”
Conrad put his hand over mine and squeezed, my shadows receded at his touch. Sofia noticed this as well.
“Mi spend mi whole life training to be on dis ting yuh call Di Board.” He said, an uncharacteristic undercurrent of rage quivering in his voice. “Mi train fah so long and hard because mi believe in di mission. Me believe in balance and doin’ wha’s right. If yuh dun see dis for di atrocity dat it is, and refuse tuh help us, den mi have trained for nothing. If yuh nuh tink dis matta worth correcting mi want nuttin tuh do with Di Board.”
We all sat in silence, waiting for Sofia to respond. I thought for a minute we had fucked it up. There was no way she would give us the chance at a vote for The Lens now. I felt the panic rise in me, my mind began to race, I could fix this, I just had to think…
