Sentry of the Arcane: Befall

Chapter Twenty-Three: Sophie

Where should I begin? I ask myself as I gather up everything that I should tell him. Finally thinking that I've assorted my words correctly, I look up into Fitz's teal eyes, which seem at least two shades darker due to the lack of light, other than his room's lights. "Well, I was heading to go to my room," I begin, "But Mr. Wallace stopped me."

Fitz raises an eyebrow. "Why?" he asks. "Was it about Fitton?"

I tilt my head to show that it was partially about him. "Well, it was mostly about you," I admit. "He said that he knows how you used a prostrator to save me-"

"Wait- how would he know about that?" Fitz asks. "He wasn't inside the warehouse at all."

I frown. "That's weird..." I muse. "Did you somehow tell him about how you still have the prostrator?" I ask him after a moment of thinking.

Fitz shakes his head. "Not at all," he says.

I furrow my eyebrows at all of this. "And he was saying how it was very intelligent of you to use the tzanion back at Fitton," I continue. "And that you must be very powerful since only a few people can still stay conscious from tzanion really small like that, and Fitton blacked out for a few seconds. Mr. Wallace didn't seem to care at the memory about the tzanion belonged to you completely."

The male Percipient sighs. "I'm guessing he said even more than that?" he asks, sighing again when I nod. Running a hand through his hair, Fitz asks, "What else did he say?"

"He said that it was a good thing that you didn't use your prostrator when you were fighting with Fitton," I explain. "And he said that he needed to tell you that you need to carry your prostrator with you from now on."

"Did he technically say that it was a good thing that I didn't have the prostrator?" Fitz asks.

I shrug. "I actually asked the same thing," I admit. "But Mr. Wallace said that if you did, then Fitton would've done something to you because he'd be under the impression that you were that prepared."

"Did he mention what specifically?" Fitz asks.

I shrug again. "Not that I know of," I say. "But he also said that Fitton now views you as more advanced than he had originally predicted. And that both of us 'show more power' than he would've guessed."

Fitz furrows his eyebrows, his lips weighing into a scowl. "Now I can't help but wonder what he would've done, and how Mr. Wallace could tell."

I shrug. I think of Jacob again and shudder involuntarily before I can stop myself. Thank God that you didn't bring the prostrator, I think gratefully. Who knows what could've happened?

I don't know, but there isn't a need to worry about that now, Fitz transmits to me. Startled, I remind myself to not transmit my thoughts to Fitz by accident.

I can't help but roll my eyes at his reply, There is a need to worry about that, even now. Who knows, maybe he'll use whatever he didn't use on you now another day.

Fitz steps closer. His teal eyes, now darker from the night, gazes at me so intensely that my breathing hitches in my throat. I feel my cheeks warm and become very grateful for the lack of decent lighting. Even if he does attack any of us another day, that also gives us the chance to show him what we all can do to protect ourselves, he argues, his eyes never leaving me.

We shouldn't underestimate him, I transmit unsurely. I try to stare at anything other than Fitz's gaze, but still stare at him.

The male Percipient raises an eyebrow at me. We shouldn't overestimate him either, he argues, making a valid contradiction. I'm not saying that we shouldn't be practicing our abilities, since we need to know more than ever. But what happened can't be changed now, so we shouldn't be worrying about different possibilities on what could've happened.