Secondo handed Air a glass of whiskey and he accepted it with a shaking hand, quickly putting it to his lips and downing it.
“Another?” Quinn said, tightening the arm around the air ghoul’s shoulder.
Air nodded.
“Please. A large one."
Quinn downed his own drink and Secondo took both of their empty tumblers over to the small bar in his sitting room to refill them. Air looked visibly shaken after the encounter with Convel, and even though it had turned out okay in the end, it had still been a massive shock for him.
Secondo gave them both another generous measure of liquor and sat on the armchair opposite them.
“He didn't trigger any of the wards. Not even a ripple. This is most concerning,” he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.
He gave a weary sigh, and Quinn smirked.
“He’s a hellhound. Stealth is their thing. There’s barely any magic they cannot get around. Plus, Convel is... Well, he’s Convel,” he said with a shrug, not wanting to elaborate further.
Secondo gave him a perplexed look.
“What did he want?”
It was Quinn’s turn to sigh.
“He told us Andras is plotting something. Convel speaks in riddles sometimes. He rarely takes on that form for communication. Something big is happening in the hell realms, and I presume Andras is getting himself involved. He came to warn me.” Quinn slid his eyes to Air, who was swirling the rest of his drink around in the bottom of his glass, hand still trembling, making it slosh now and then. “Air seemed to capture his interest, though.”
Secondo frowned.
“Well, we’ve been quiet these past couple of weeks. It’s about time the drama started up again,” he said dryly.
Quinn barked a laugh, but Air stayed quiet.
“True,” Quinn said. “I don’t know what Andras wants, and I don’t know what we can do except gather information about what’s happening over there. Convel said there is a divide. I’m surprised we haven’t heard about this already.”
“I can ask Boreas?” Air said. “Surely he knows something. I know it shouldn’t affect us, but there must be talk of it.”
Secondo nodded.
“Si. That’s a good idea.” He focused on Quinn. “Does this Convel pose a threat to us? If he’s going to find out more and let you know, then he could show up again.”
Quinn pursed his lips.
“Convel is not a warmonger like Andras. He’s dangerous, but he has no fight with us. I got the impression he would protect Air if he could. I can’t be sure. Throw Andras into the mix, though, and all bets are off.”
Secondo cursed in Italian.
“I’ll call a meeting with the witches and see if they can suggest any extra protections we can implement. If you have any suggestions, Quinn, feel free to let me know.”
He nodded. Air shuddered next to him and huffed out a breath.
“I don’t think there’s anything we can do, Secondo. Remember when Raziel paid us a visit? All the extra wards and spells didn’t even touch him.” He gave Quinn a sideways glance. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Even if Convel is our friend, Andras is not.”
His voice broke on that last word, and Quinn pulled him closer, kissing his hair.
“We will stay vigilant. It’s all we can do for now," Quinn said.
YOU ARE READING
Essence of Quinn Parts 3 & 4 (MxM)
FantasíaMxM Follow up to Essence of Quinn Parts 1&2. Quinn must face his past to be able to move on with his future. He's overcome most of his demons since he was summoned by Secondo and he's gone up against destiny itself, but a past transgression will co...
