“And yes,” she said, resuming her slow roll of the crystal, “I have every intention of saving Mal.”
Eryx raised his hands, sneering, his eyes still drilling into Reeve, in a sign of “see I told you so,” but Reeve didn’t react, of course, already knowing Maeve’s desire to redeem Mal.
It drove her mad that Eryx still would not address her, despite sitting not three feet from her. So she fixed her stare on him and said, “You’re allowed to talk to me. Reeve’s here,” she added, gesturing to wheretheirLord sat.
Eryx’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as he fumed at Reeve, who merely raised his eyebrows, daring Eryx to continue down this path. Eryx shook his head, his spiteful expression darkening.
“Have you told her yet, Reeve?” he asked. “Have you told her why Mely is literally green with the effects of death?”
“Stop,” warned Reeve, his voice so low with command, Maeve stopped breathing for a moment.
Then her mind raced up to speed. More secrets. The electric Magic surged back, flooding towards her hand. More fucking secrets. “What haven’t you told me?” she pressed.
The crystal siphon glowed, small tendrils of electricity cracking across the table. Reeve’s attention was fixed on it.
“Oh, she doesn’t know,” said Eryx, satisfaction of knowing something Maeve didn’t dripping from his tone.
“Eryx,” muttered Reeve, his eyes closing.
But Eryx didn’t, couldn’t, heed Reeve’s warnings. He appeared set on crushing Maeve with any blow possible. “Mely here has quite the strange disposition, as you know,” began Eryx.
“Eryx, you are being cruel,” muttered Mely, but it was washed out by Reeve’s annoyed growl.
“Gods fucking damnit, Eryx,” said Reeve, with a laugh that was hardly filled with joy. “Do not make me silence you.”
“Why am I the only one looking atthisclearly?” bellowed Eryx, pointing directly at Maeve. His hand jerked back towards his empty glass, the glass he hadn’t even bothered to fill for breakfast. “Gods be damned,” snarled Eryx as the glass made contact with the wall, shattering under his rage.
Maeve jumped in her seat and gripped the crystal tightly in all five fingers, electric energy swirling hotly against her palm, pulsing against the smooth siphon. Her reflexes were so infuriatingly dull now. Reeve didn’t move from his relaxed position in his seat, but his eyes slid to Maeve quicker than a blink.
“You believe you are the one thinking critically?” responded Reeve. “You think inflicting more pain onto Maeve will save our people?”
“More pain?” spat Eryx. “She has—”
“She has endured,” said Reeve, his voice musical and quiet, like a small praise slipping from his lips. “She will continue to endure, which is more than you are currently offering.”
Eryx leaned forward against the table. “When you told me you were going to trade the Senshi for her, Reeve, I thought you had more planned than this. You actually see potential for redemption when you look at her? As she sits here and openly claims that her goal is to save the sadistic ruler we all knew should have never stepped foot in that cursed land across that fucking lake.”
Her palm was on fire. She was too flustered, too spread bare to let it go. Her fist only tightened around the crystal siphon.
Reeve’s answer cut through her. “Redemption isn’t relevant when we are talking about the fall of civilization.” His eyes moved to her. “Open your palm.”
She twisted her fist and opened her palm to the ceiling. The blazing crystal ball glowed with bright blue Magic, tiny bolts of lightning scattering across the inside like a stormy sky. She lifted her eyes to Reeve. His head tilted in acknowledgment of her small accomplishment.
Praise in his eyes was a dangerous thing. Her fingers clamped back down on the crystal, hiding it from view.
“So I am to trust her?” asked Eryx, paying no attention to them, his voice still climbing in anger, in perfect opposition to Reeve’s resigned behavior. “I am to trust that she will choose—”
“You are to trust me,” said Reeve plainly with a sigh as he looked away from Maeve.
Eryx braced his fists on the table. “Why do you still cling to this notion that she is yours to save? It will cost us everything.”
Reeve’s eyes narrowed in understanding. “You think Shadow and her new Dread King won’t come here if we stay out of it? It was on a whim I cast that spell years ago. I had no idea if it would last ten minutes or ten centuries. We are lucky it lasted the time it did.”
“Then do it again and let it last until death is at our door,” Eryx fired back.
“It is here, Eryx,” said Reeve, impressively calm still despite his Second in Command’s heavy breathing. “Look at Mely,”continued Reeve. “She is beside herself. She cannot sleep. She cannot eat. It lurks around us.”
“This girl will not protect us from that lurking death!” argued Eryx.
