All is Fair in War and Dragon Scales (UNREVISED)

The Champion and his Apprentice Pt. 6

The man Finley thinks is Cailin grins, shock in his eyes. "Well... That's interesting..."

The faux Cailin slowly gets off the bed, the smile turning a bit crazed. "My apologies, but i'm not Cailin."

Finley keeps still by the door, suddenly itching to escape as his brain tries to see through the illusion.

"I'm sure you know who I am by now. King sent you didn't he?"

Finley doesn't respond and St. Ives clicks his tongue, bored. "I thought this would be fun, but you're rather boring for a god..."

"I'm not a god."

"No, you're not but you might as well be. The thing inside you though? That's a god. Your little librarian was pretty close to getting the right answer."

Finley twitches, earning a small glance from the mage in front of him. "You can calm down, i'm not going to do anything to you... It's not like your little sorry excuse of a protector would even let me..."

St. Ives sits back down, Finley still trying to concentrate on the fact that he's talking to the most dangerous mage in all history, and not his best friend. He closes the door in his mind all the way, the rot fading away from his finger.

St. Ives slowly begins to grin, taking his wand and using a spell to turn it into a long twisted pipe that he slowly smokes out of. "Having trouble? Don't worry, everyone has a way of losing themselves when they look at me, you're not the only one. It was a curse that was placed upon me years ago. I am who you desire the most."

Finley instantly blushes, embarrassed, and St. Ives chuckles, shrugging. "I guess it's a good thing though. I have your first weakness, it's the perfect blackmail..."

His eyes flicker from the weird yellow cat ones back the electric blue and Finley swallows.

"I'm impressed. King was smart to make you dress like that, you've tricked a lot eyes... but only some." He dramatically hesitates. "I know what you want to know..."

Finley must have looked hopeful, because the mage begins to chuckle again. "Don't look so excited. You won't like what you're about to hear."

"I keep being told that... And i'm ready."

"No you're not."

He exhales the toxic fumes, throwing the pipe in the air and it disappears in a cloud of neon yellow smoke. "But I surely don't care about your feelings as long as you give me what I want in return after telling you. My information isn't for free."

"I'm not sleeping with you."

"And I respect that. I didn't think you would, and trust me, I don't feel like getting cut open from a chaotic god today..."

The mage stares creepily at the teen who shuffles uncomfortably.

"I know what I want from you, but you deserve to know the things that school has been hiding from you all your life first. I'll give you your information and then you do what I say. Deal?"

Finley hesitates, eyes squinting as he remembers that King told him to not, under any circumstances, make compromises with the man standing in front of him...

But nothing can be more important than knowing what he needs to know now.

"... Deal."

St. Ives grins wildly. "Great. No backing out now!"

"No. I won't back out."