Mages of Rubia ✔️

32

We go to the wall to meet Azarius. He walks out the entrance with a cigarette like nothing could stop him.

He offers it to me like he can tell I want it. I accept reluctantly, take two drags, and offer it back.

"Keep it, dear. I get the feeling I won't be seeing you for a while."

Lief steps in front of me.

"Our answer is no."

Azarius nods. "Guess that was the stabbing."

Ravana steps forward, I put my hand in front of him.

"We don't have to do this," I say, "You could stop this all and come back to Himnoa with us. It's safer there."

He blinks once, slowly. It feels like his pause drags on for aeons.

"The answer is no," he says, mimicking Lief's voice exactly.

I sigh. "I'm sorry."

"Whyever for?"

"All of this. I don't think any of us wants to become a murderer."

"I do," Lief snarls.

Azarius laughs. "See, if not me it would have been him. Ruling these people with an iron fist and a steel heart. Really, it's too bad you said no. I can see it in you."

Ravana shoves him back as he gets too close to Lief, baring his teeth.

"Oh, and how could I forget you? Well, we know you're already a killer."

He pulls out a pack of cigarettes and hands them to me.

"For your little addiction. Happy birthday, don't die, good evening."

He turns and goes back into the walls. I open the pack, there's a lighter and only three cigarettes gone. I tuck it in my pocket.

"Let me check for tampering before you smoke those," Ravana says.

"That isn't how I die," I say.

He sighs.

-

The cigarettes are fine. Lief smokes one with me as we walk through the woods to check if the nearby town has been taken.

Something approaches through the woods. I hear the demonic language I recognize as the one Ravana and Lief share. Lief answers, pushing me behind him.

Something large steps out of the woods and sniffs at Lief. It asks a question. He answers, and it reaches it's head out to touch his.

"I guess this is my Beaston," he mutters to me. Then he says something else to it. It turns to look at me and does what I assume is the animal approximation of a bow.

I bow back.

It turns and leaves with a muttered word that seems to echo.

Lief grins. "Awesome. I can't believe I did that."

"That was horrifying."

He hums. "I guess. But it seems cool with you."

We keep walking towards the town. I hand him the cigarette to finish.

"So, you and Cooper are friends, yeah?"

"I guess so. He likes to mess with my hair."

He nods. It's curled and frizzy from his braiding.

"I'm glad."

We come up on the town. Lief crouches within view and watches carefully. I do, too, though my vision is awful.