Spindle Wood (COMPLETED)

Chapter 94

Janus looked up from his feet as he entered the throne room. His face split into a cruel smile.

"Remus," he said, trying to hide how his heart leapt in his chest, "this is a pleasant surprise. Coming back to me already?"

"I don't have time for your games, Janus." The amount of venom in Remus' tone, all directed at Janus, made it feel like Janus' heart might be breaking all over again. "Where is he?"

Janus shook off the hated human feeling as much as he could. "Where is who?" He set his hands behind his back and leaned against the wall.

"I just said I don't have time for this!" In one stride, Remus was in front of Janus and had him pinned against the wall, the front of his shirt gripped tightly in his fist. "You've already ripped my heart out so if I have to rip your head off to fix that, I won't hesitate!"

Janus glanced down at Remus' hand and raised an eyebrow. "Haven't we been here before?" He tried to say but Remus pushed his hand against Janus' throat, cutting off his wind pipe.

"If you try and play one single more mind trick with me, I will finish what I should've 20 years ago." Remus snarled. "I will kill you."

Janus turned his head to the side in an attempt to alleviate the pressure on his throat. "What's changed your mind?" He croaked out. Almost automatically, Remus' lessened his press on Janus' neck.

"This time I'm not working for my brother."

"I see." Janus glanced down at Remus' hand again, this time with a flicker of fear in his gaze. "Look, Rem, I appreciate you haven't been physically close to anyone for 16 years - who would be, with a little brat in the house-"

"Do not call Patton a brat!" Remus yelled, actually lifting Janus off the floor and slamming him into the wall. Janus winced as his head cracked against the stone. Nothing crossed Remus' face, it was just one huge mask of anger.

Janus felt his heart sink. He'd actually gone too far this time.

Wait, why should he care?

"But could you please put me down and remove your hand from my shirt so we can talk about this like civilised adults?" Janus resumed as if nothing happened.

"Why, so you can use even more tricks on me?" Remus shook his head. "I'm not letting you escape this time."

"So, what is this?" Janus wriggled his hands behind his back. He felt the material of one glove slide against the other and grabbed it. "A revenge mission for your revenge mission? Forgive me if I don't see the point, Rem, but it's a bit too late, don't you think?"

"It's not." Remus insisted. "It can't be."

"But what if it is?" Janus tried to pull his glove off but Remus pushed him back against the wall further, crushing his hands.

"I said no more mind games." He said. It was probably a very bad time but Janus couldn't remember the last time Remus had been this close to him and it was very difficult to not get caught up in the moment.

Janus dropped his gaze. "Fine, fine, I'm sorry." The word scratched at his throat. "You want the prince? You want Patton's great love? Fine, I'll take you too him." Remus' grip relaxed a little in surprise and Janus managed to pull his glove off. "Only for you, though, my love."

"You don't get to call me that anymore." There was beat of silence and then Remus dropped his hand from Janus' shirt. Janus let out a breath and smoothed out the wrinkles in the material with his right hand.

"So?" Remus gestured. "Go on then."

"I will, I will, have patience." Janus' face contorted from passive surrender to anger that nearly matched Remus' own. "But good luck saving your precious prince."

He sent a bolt of magic out towards Iredia. Even from the castle, Janus fancied he could hear the earth cracking as mountains of black thorns broke through and grew up around the kingdom.

"No!"

It was like the noise a wounded animal would make. The scream was ripped from Remus as he ran to the window and stared helplessly out over the forest, at the small kingdom slowly disappearing inside the mass of thorns.

Janus grinned as Remus turned back around and the world started to blur as he disappeared. He saw Remus reach out as if to swipe at him-

And the room snapped back to vivid sharpness. Janus fell to his knees in surprise, clutching his middle. It felt like a hole had been ripped into his flesh, leaving only emptiness and a stinging pain behind.

He looked up at Remus. Remus was holding a dark ball of smoke in his hand, staring at it like he'd never seen it before.

Ooooh, I'm excited for the next chapter.
Bye,
Blaize