THE FORTUNIST

35. Rayton

“A banea is a gifted summoner who can wilfully summon the Fortunist. They usually don't know this fact about themselves which makes them difficult to find.”

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Is the ring Anarella was proudly flaunting four hours ago because she was confident Rayton wouldn't recognize it really the Winter Solstice? Yes, it is.

Did she expressly claim that she wanted to kill a man that suited Rayton's description of his mother's assassin? Yes, she did.

Why does she have a personal vendetta against said assassin? He doesn't know but he hopes that will not get in the way of him retrieving both royal cryfixes.

How would he retrieve them? He has no freaking idea. He just figures he'll cross that bridge when he gets there.

If Anarella now has the Winter Solstice, does that not mean she met Elia? He can only find out the answer to that question by asking her.

Would he ask her? Absolutely fucking hell not.

No matter how the numerous questions wire up in Rayton's brain, there is only one certain answer that always concludes— that is the fact that he cannot tell Anarella any fundamental truth. He must not.

"You seem to be thinking for the whole country. You know it's bad enough you bear the crown prince's name already. Do you want to usurp him now?"

"At least I'm better than you who obviously doesn't think. You brought me to the Tai." Rayton glares at her. He is standing at the base of a tree in whose high branches Anarella is tangled in.

"I showed you a way out, you didn't take it."

"The Tai Rel, the Taaaiii, does that mean anything to you?"

"Other than the fact that a psychopath's been living here under your noses I don't think so, no. Are you having second thoughts because if so, we are going to have a problem. You'll become a pretty heavy liability. I know it's not your fault. You're just the soldier who gets pushed around. You don't call the shots."

"Many of our enemy invaders in the past disappeared mysteriously in this forest."

"And you guys were too chicken to find out why just as long as there's enough jacque stones and perfumes."

"We are vulnerable here, cryfix magic doesn't…"

"Blah blah blah, it's a good thing I don't depend on cryfix magic then. Why are you acting like a saint Ray? Thirteen years ago you tried to convince a committed woman to run away with you. What's the matter, you're not that person anymore?"

"You… you…," Rayton sputters, clenching and unclenching his fists by his sides. He can scale up the tree so fast and slam her down. "You're lucky you're so high up."

Anarella giggles. "So long, brave yourself Soldier. He'll be here any moment."

"If we die, no one's ever going to find us."

"Do you plan on dying?"

"No?"

"That settles it."

"Sooo," Rayton prays in his heart that he is broaching the subject of his curiousity right, "the… the ring is it, is it real?"

"It's realer than you could ever imagine."

"Did you steal it?"

"Depends on what you think stealing is," she replies after brief hesitation. "I'm a bounty hunter. All I did was track it down."

"But why this one? Why this specific one?"

"Hmmn, let's just say our asshole is attracted to timeless jewels."