Rituals, Regrets, and Really Dumb People

Chapter 10: Reinhardt's Sons, Part 3

"It—uh—hurt, didn't it?"

I looked over to Lilly when she asked that. I had been leaning on the post of the fence outside Corbin's house, just keeping my peace. I gave a nod of my head to her words, but I hadn't really wanted to speak much on it—elsewise I'd let it all spill out.

"Yeah. I—yeah, it hurts. I've even tried to keep loyal to her even after she left me and told me how she truly felt. I thought it was just some act of ignorance, but I guess I was a wrong." I drew back and kicked the wooden post hard with the toe of my boot, jerking my arms around and beginning a string of vulgarity at the empty air. "How much of a fool I was."

"Hey," Lilly said, looking towards me. "It happens, Mathias. People do bad things. You did."

"I know," I said as I calmed down. "I know, just, she was MY wife. My bond. I was never bad to her, not once, despite the circumstances of our relationship. Not once did I mistreat her or lay my hand on her, and in truth she's been plotting since before even Corbin and Reinhardt were still parts of the Cult and—"

I turned and I looked inside the house, past the window and to the three inside. Corbin was hugging Sarah and talking with her, talking to his boy. There was a momentary sadness that flooded into me as I watched them get to be family; I couldn't hear Corbin, but I suspected he was telling them how much he loved them. He was telling his boy to be the man of the house until he returned. There was a great big void in my chest, a piece of me missing from the vast emptiness. I wanted that, that of what I was watching.

"Hey," Lil said as she grabbed me by my sleeves to make me face her and stop staring inside. "It's done and over with. Let her go." She frowned and began patting my robes off. "You don't need her, anyways."

I closed my eyes tight and I leaned my head back to take in the coming night air. I thought about it and I bobbed my head in agreement. "I know. It still hurts, but I can't help to feel this. It is tiny in comparison to Dimitri and the kid's dilemma. I know it, but something inside just burns about it all."

"You know, I say when we get the kid back, we adopt her."

I opened my eyes and looked to Lilly. "We?"

"Yeah, let's give 'em something to talk about. I may not be like my sisters in all ways, but I still enjoy a good tease or two."

I looked her up and down, tilted my head and began another episode of being gobsmacked by Lilly. "I—huh?" Consider the following; I was a nerd most of my life, my skill with charming women was completely crippled, atrophied like a mummified hand. She had me in shock, to say the least.

"Oh, come on," she said in a faux pout. "It'll be fun. Me, you, the kid, and Keith. Maybe a little dog."

"I mean, I do have Stitches. And doesn't Keith want to kill me?"

"Sure, but come on, what can he do?"

"Uh, a lot—"

"You two done?" Me and Lilly turned and looked to Corbin, who had planted the haft on the ground. I should call it a staff; that's what it was after all. "I'm ready, said my goodbyes. Show me this army you were talking about. Geraldine's knights and the Cultists of Sanguine—this is going to be a treat."

So, we led him to the army. We led him out of town to the south, where my league of brawlers had set up camp. There, people came forward to greet us; Jo, Geraldine, Jason, John Wesley, all excited to meet with Corbin. I didn't get so much as a hi, but to be honest, it was Corbin's reunion and that was fine with me.

"Corbin!" Jo said as she pounced him for a hug. "It's been a long, long time, guy."

"Hey, Jo," Corbin said in his collected manner. He was always an anchor to the other men; cool and calm, rigid in his behavior. He had earned their respect all those years ago, and that had never left. "You've grown, girl."