Magus {Complete}

11

Cinder stared at the table that they sat at. The oval shaped wood was painted a dark red color to match the rest of the kitchen that spanned the entire right side, ending only at the wall that separated the living room from the giant kitchen. It was pretty and might have caught Cinder's attention to look at every detail in it, if their conversation wasn't as grueling as it was.

"That warlock is bound to find us. We can't stay hidden for long. And he's apparently really good at breaking my illusions, so that's out of the question. Plus, he'll be looking for it now," Lyn spoke up again, repeating the same mantra for the umpteenth time.

"We know that," Kydyn responded, but he was nearing his wits end. Cinder could tell by the Irish accent that thickened when he was angry.

"He must be working for the rebels," Cinder said, even though he was pretty sure everyone else had come to that conclusion without his pointing it out. "We should head back to the Capitol."

"And what do you propose we do when we get there?" Kydyn let his chair fall forward, boots hitting the floor just as hard as the wooden legs of the seat. He leaned on the table, glaring at him from the other end. "Do you think the old codgers are going to protect us? You're an outright moron to believe that. We are the ones who fight the rebels not them. They're fucking ancient! They don't have that kind of power anymore."

"I didn't say they should protect us, I'm saying that if they're after the rebels, than maybe bringing the warlock to them would be a great start. Seems to me this guy is the rebel's strongest asset. There are plenty of council members there that could lend a hand in binding this asshole and then..." Cinder paused. He knew what was going to happen after they bound him, but saying it was difficult.

"Kill him." Kydyn finished it for him.

"Even though he's not black."

"He's trying to kill us. Well. You more than us, but we're in the way. Doesn't matter. He's killing people and those explosions in the city? You can bet your pretty ass those were his doing too. Would you like to know how many innocent people died?"

Cinder swallowed hard. He had a general idea that it had been a lot. Several buildings had fallen, utterly destroyed by the explosions. Hell one of those buildings would have killed all of them if not for Kydyn's quick reaction to it. Cinder couldn't deny that he was powerful. Of course he knew that all along, but it was always a little astonishing when Kydyn got serious and did amazing things such as that.

"Maybe he's right," Jika said. His interjection between Cinder and Kydyn took both of them by surprise. Kydyn's, though, quickly turned to anger as he propped his head up on his fist.

"Yeah? How so?"

"The council has plenty of people who can expend that kind of power to keep him bound for you. Killing him could very well tip the balance in this fight and the rebels would have lost their one source of deadly power. They don't have the magus. We do. That warlock is the only other danger to us right now. Take him out and we might as well have called this war won."

Kydyn sat for a long while, staring at Jika. Then his lips parted into a wicked smile and he tilted his head off to the side. "Sacrifice a few of those old bastards for the good of the many. I kind of like it."

"Wait. I didn't say—"

"Doesn't matter," Kydyn cut off Cinder with the snarled words. "You don't think some of those ancient assholes aren't going to die anyway? Even if that warlock isn't black, he's still going to kill them. It's war, Cinder. Deal with it."