Fate Breakers

Chapter 14

Aviva

We heard the news about the attack on Unit 66 and the betrayal of Balor Fenrin Calnin just this morning, and the attack was a week ago by now. Why it took them this long to let everyone know is fucking beyond me... but the facts of this attack still concern me.

"Viva?" Rowan crouches down, making sure his eyes are level with mine as he raises a brow. "Whatcha thinkin'?"

"Don't you think it's a little odd this has happened to Liam twice?" The house goes dead, Bruce and Constance both eyeing me. The thought's out now, so I can't back down. "Losing his brother was tragedy enough... but twice, his unit has been attacked in the dead of night, twice with a member of his unit betraying the rest."

"I... hadn't noticed that..." Constance lowers her head.

Everyone looks a little troubled as reality hits them. That's now twice in Liam's life he could have been killed by someone on the same side of the war as he is. That's twice—that we fucking know of—that a Balor soldier has gone after their own and succeeded in dismantling it. It was an odd stroke of luck that no one died in this instance.

I really don't want to consider the possibility that there's more to this than meets the eye. The Balor has slowly seen a decrease in the amount of soldiers willingly signing up, and from what Fox mentioned to me, it doesn't sound like the Elders are interested in holding a mass draft anytime soon. The amount of warm bodies that are ready and willing to fight just grew stagnant. Even still, there's still waves in the water.

"Maybe this is cold, but can I ask what the fuck is so special about Liam Leda?" Constance looks between the three of us. "I transferred from the O'Malley sector, and the extent of my knowledge is that he's one of the only specialists to be ordained with the title, and that his brother was a high ranking officer who died in an attack."

"Liam's also got two fucking doctorates," Rowan explains, holding up two fingers. "I know one is in the medical field, and while I've got no fucking clue what the other one is, I know it grants him access to the forges."

Constance's brows fly up. "That would mean he'd have to be a blacksmith or engineer of some sort. I... I barely got my licensing for that just a day ago! How did he already fucking have it before his medical license!? Is he the spawn of Athena or some shit!?"

I stand up, shaking my head. "Look, I'm just going to go for a walk. You guys talk about it."

Bruce snatches my arm. "It's a quarter to nine. You're testing curfew."

It takes a moment, but I manage to free my arm from his grip. "I'll be back by then just... just let me be a moment."

↻

When I lived in the court, something happening once should be taken as a warning. That same thing happening a second time was a threat, Gods forbid there be a third time to follow.

This isn't the court. I am far, far, far away from them. Fox made sure of that. I'm safe from them, or I should be. Something inside me tells me I'm not. Something inside me knows that I'm not. There's nowhere in the world that I can run to where they won't follow.

I can't forget how I was raised, especially not with reminders etched into my skin. If I can't forget, I have to change the mentalities I've been given. There's one that keeps circling my mind lately: loose ends can be as much a blessing as they can be a curse. Careful what and how much you leave.

Fenrin Calnin and Devan Trick both had it rough as Balor. Trick was passed up for promotions time and time again, and he was naturally just a little unstable in nature. Calnin on the other hand, they got denied advancements based on prejudice. Before they transferred to the Aeolian Sector, their gender identity was the issue, which was odd considering they came from Fíntan. Vampires are a lot of things, but most are incredibly open and accepting of gender and sexual fluidity, especially nobles that tend to use it to their advantages.

The Mallacht didn't have a clear part in any case. They had no connection to Trick, sources say that he wasn't in contact with anyone from Araceli, but he died the same night as the attack, so no one will ever really know the rhyme or reason. Calnin was in clear contact with Mallacht soldiers, two were apprehended with them, both claiming to be their backup. But then the thing that troubles me: Calnin died in our custody, allegedly in their sleep.

There are only two consistent facts with each of these cases: both traitors did not survive these attacks, and Liam Leda was involved in both.

Rowan seems to like Liam, but his admiration of him is only surface level. Liam and Rowan haven't ever actually been together for any extended period of time. Constance wouldn't have met him, Bruce knows a little more than I do, and I've hardly talked to Liam at all.

There's no glaring reason as to why this would happen to Liam, and there's absolutely no indication that he somehow orchestrated both of these attacks. In fact, it's fully impossible for him to have orchestrated either of them. But my mind keeps circling back to the fact that it happened twice, and not in too short of a time span.

It's no secret that Liam's attitude fully changed after losing his brother. It would be suspicious if he somehow hadn't changed after such a traumatic incident.

Gods... what the fuck am I thinking? Am I really trying to blame Liam for this? None of this is his fault, it couldn't be. This is just some cruel trick played by the Moirai. It has to be.

"You're out past curfew again? This is becoming a habit."

My heart hammers in my chest for a brief moment. I let out a breath and turn back. "Pot's callin' the kettle black. You're out here too, Ramirez."

Gannon lifts some sort of hose in his hands. "This time I had permission. Calvel broke our fucking shower, and maintenance won't get to it for a week. Why are you out so late?"

Fuck, this is wrong... this is so wrong, but my mind just won't stop spinning. "Did you hear about what happened to Specialist Leda?"

Gannon's eyes darken. "Yeah... did you hear Ceno Arco was also on the team?"

My heart plummets for a moment. "I... no, no I didn't."

"According to the report, Calnin outright forgot Liam, but they didn't even try to restrain Ceno. The only reason he wasn't in the fray was because one of the soldiers they poisoned knocked him into a ditch and he got hurt."

This is new information, but what do I do with it? Where does Ceno's presence fit in here? Liam was already tough enough to make sense of, but now Ceno too? And why the hell did Calnin leave him aside? Did they maybe forget about Ceno, too?

Gannon catches my eyes. "You've noticed a pattern too, huh?"

So I'm not crazy. I nod my head. "What do you make of it?"

To my dismay, Gannon shakes his head. "I don't have enough information yet, but I do have one idea as to what's going to come from this."

"And what's that?"

"A total reform." Gannon gestures to all the cabins. "All these cabins, so many rooms, more than half of them vacant. From all the fights to these two incidents, it's no secret our army is kinda falling apart."

"But the Elders would never let us secede." Doing that would mean Araceli wins, and they just can't let the sky realm go that easily. An idea pops into my head suddenly, and I blurt it without thinking much. "Maybe that's why the charges were dropped against your unit."

My skin goes clammy. Fuck, now Gannon must think that I think his unit cheated! I don't know if they did, and I don't care! My own unit talked before that stupid fucking exam, every unit did things they weren't supposed to, and—

"You might be right."

Our eyes meet. Gannon looks oddly serious. It's kinda... unnerving. The lamps lining the dirt street flicker. That's the warning before the wardens ride through to do their nightly checks.

"We'll talk later," Gannon says. It sounds like a promise.

I nod my head. "Talk later."

Well fuck... now I just have more questions.