Hymn of the Elder Gods

All Twisted

There was something about buildings, silhouetted against an early sky, that had always left Eve feeling vaguely unsettled. Their walls bathed in gray light and the windows shimmering faintly with melted frost.

She could see a whole row of such homes from the back porch, presiding over the dawn with a certain sense of gravity and spilling down the mountain like monoliths. Cold air bit her expanding lungs as her gaze slid past the neighborhood and out over the sliver of water in the far distance. The bay was as tumultuous as always, visibly choppy even from a distance and deep, dark navy blue.

The door to the back porch swung open, Samir's usual, silent presence sidling up along her left. He was fiddling with that band of silver on his pinky again, twisting it back and forth, a question dangling almost visibly from the tip of his tongue. That slash of black across the sky grew all the more prominent as the fog dissipated and red sunlight seeped over the horizon. Fighting the urge to lean into the man's side, Eve watched the churning ocean for a while, until the air had warmed and her feet began to ache from holding a single position.

Arman shoved the door open with much more force than Samir had but shrunk backwards with a lopsided grimace when Eve turned to look at him.

"You still have blood on you," he said, visibly disgusted.

Eve flashed him a feral smile. "And if you had helped at all, you probably would too."

The redhead flinched and turned away from her as though she hadn't said anything at all. "Samir. I can't keep fielding calls. You can't put off work any longer. What do I tell the client?"

Samir twisted his ring another time, this time a full revolution. "I need to think about it some more."

"More? Haven't we wasted enough time?" A flock of birds took off from the yard in a rustle and rush of wings. "Boss, I don't understand. From the start you've been weird about this job. Did you ever intend to finish it? It's unlike you to be so rash. So stubborn. And all this for what? A trinket?"

"Arman," Samir said mildly, unmoving. "If you don't want to die, please be quiet." Arman paused, some of the anger she'd seen emerging over the past few days simmering unsteadily in his eyes. It flattened together with a long, frustrated exhale.

"How many times have you threatened to kill me now, in the past few days? In any case, suit yourself. When the company goes up in flames, don't complain to me."

"Frankly," Samir said, silkily-smooth and patient, "the world has greater priorities at the moment."

"Which is exactly why we have more requests than ever before," Arman snarled, fanning the flames. "I don't understand you. Was it not you who taught me how to take advantage of every opportunity? Not you that I chose to follow after you dragged me from the deepest hells of humanity?"

"Arman." Samir turned, sliding one hand deep into his pant pocket, looking deeply troubled. "If you do not understand the difference in gravity between the two situations, then I have failed you. Consider what would happen if we sided with the wrong client - the wrong side right now? Do you think we'd escape with our lives, much less with the company?"

"I don't know why I bother," Arman threw his hands up. "You've clearly made your decision a long time ago. Who would you consider siding with, if not this woman?" Eve fought to keep her expression steady beneath the utter and complete hatred that permeated in her direction. Should she put him in his place again?

She didn't have to. Samir drew his gun, looking as though he couldn't give less of a fuck. "Reign in your temper, and your greed. They may have been a weapon for you before, but if you continue to wield them so clumsily, I will be forced to kill you before you pose a threat to myself. And to her. If you are not happy that I've chosen to trust her, you are welcome to leave." He flicked the safety off. "But do so now. I can build the company a second time if I must. But I have no desire to die because you can't see more than one step ahead."