Beware the Ides

III

   The succeeding days passed in a blur. After a handful of trips to visit Vulpes, Quintin had procured the information that he so desperately craved. Edward was on the hunt for Quintin, looking to tie up loose ends to finally end what remained of his parents existence.

Now, down in the infirmary, Quintin sat upon a cot, watching Ace pace. His movements were slow and methodical as he contemplated what Quintin had just laid out for him. While hard to digest, it came as little surprise to him.

"You mean to tell me that Caesar... I mean Edward is planning to attack us?"

"Yep. Who knows when, but it'll take time for him to get ready. No doubt he's looking for Vulpes, and it won't be long before he finds him."

Ace stopped as rubbed at his stiffened jaw. The news was not welcome, but there was little they could do to avoid the inevitable. Still, the realization that Vulpes was alive came as a genuine shock.

"You haven't killed him yet? If you're done procuring information, it would be wise to kill him. One less liability."

Quintin glanced off towards the corner of the room, a half assed shrug his only form of acknowledgement. While Ace's words seemed logical, he knew that Vulpes was still of value. He saw him as leverage, as opposed to a liability.

"I guess you're right, but I may be able to get more out of him still," Quintin stated as he rose to his feet.

Ace rubbed his temples as he leaned back against the nearby counter, "does he even have any fingers left? I know how much... you enjoy..." he mumbled, trailing off as his gaze dropped to the floor.

"Of course he does. I'm not a monster. Seven and a half should be enough."

"Seven and a... half?" Ace repeated as he studied his own fingers. He could not fathom losing the appendages, especially in such a gruesome way.

Quintin nodded with a mischievous smile. He held up his hands to demonstrate the lack of fingers Vulpes now had, wiggling them for extra emphasis as he noticed Ace's unamused expression.

Ace sighed heavily before adjusting the stethoscope that hung loosely around his shoulders. He straightened out his jacket before looking towards the door, the sound of approaching footsteps capturing his attention.

Anna poked her head into the room as her gaze settled on the two men. She assumed they were talking business but, she was in need of urgent medical attention.

"Ace, I have a paper cut..." Anna grumbled as she lifted up her thumb. A small bead of blood was visible but it did not appear to be of much concern.

"Oh uh, let me get you a band aid for that. I trust you've washed it already?"

Anna nodded as she slunk into the room, nursing her bleeding finger. While Ace shuffled off to find where he had placed the spare bandages, she looked towards Quintin.

"Everyone is saying the Crimson Bulls are going to attack. Any idea as to when?" She asked as she carefully wiped away at the blood beading atop the cut.

Quintin shook his head as he rubbed at his eyes. The bleached walls and blinding lights above did nothing but produce a headache. He would offer to spruce up the room but he knew that Ace would not let him. He always said that the infirmary was not supposed to look nice. It was simply supposed to be functional.

"Who knows. Vulpes knows next to nothing of the attack. So it's either being thrown together now, or he's not telling me something," Quintin said, as he started to poke and prod at the fake skeleton next to him.