"I knew you were dumb Deitas, but I thought you at least valued your life!" Ratford Orintail said over the blasting music and the laughter of his crew, just before shutting the door to his office, shutting him and Kaeron in the facade of a business office from which the Orintail's had run for generations.
"Impressive soundproofing." Kaeron said, looking around the space. Ratford had always only had one path in life. His dad owned this shop, and so did his dad before him, and even before the shop, the Orintail's have been long known for being able to obtain any item no questions asked, for those willing to pay the price. The shop was just a way to make the Orintail's look legit.
Ratford shot Kaeron a look. "Really, Deitas? I could get in some serious trouble for going behind Draefin's back like this, and you want to talk about the soundproofing?"
Kaeron scoffed. "A cockroach like you, Rat. If anything happened, I'm sure you'd just weasel your way out of it."
"Kaeron." Ratford gave him another look, and Kaeron rolled his eyes. Ratford wasn't a big guy, but Kaeron had gotten into enough fights with the arrogant bastard as a kid in Hells Mob to know that he was unnaturally quick on his feet and had a mean right hook. It wasn't enough to be a real problem for Kaeron, of course, but as much fun as fucking with Ratford was, he was right. Draefin would be furious if he knew this meeting was happening, so the quicker he got what he came for, the better.
"Why did Bonnie really have to die?" Kaeron did his best to sound natural.
Ratford sighed. "I knew it. You're.. a freaking moron. Deitas. Risking both of our lives over some girl!" He shook his head, and Kaeron considered leaving here with a head on a spike instead of information. Ratford took a long breath before pulling out a keychain (that held an impressive amount of keys), from thin air (show off), and flipped through them mumbling "there it is" before pausing at one of the keys and then he sat down in his swivel chair and stuck the key into one of the slots of the drawers to his left.
"I get that you don't have many friends, Deitas, but is this dead one really worth making Draefin an enemy?" Ratford asked, looking up at Kaeron.
"Just show me whatever it is you have, Ratford."
"Fool." Ratford shook his head again disapprovingly, but he opened the drawer and pulled out a... diary. "Here." He tossed it to Kaeron, who caught it and tried to open the damned thing when a massive pain exploded throughout his skull, followed by a wave of nausea strong enough to make him drop the accursed book on to the wooden floor.
"You knew that the damned thing was cursed." Kaeron scowled, glaring over at the snickering bastard.
"You're too easy, Deitas. Here." Ratford said, not hiding his amusement, and Kaeron once again thought about the merits of turning this guy into a kabob, as Ratford slid over a key. "Now leave. I don't want any part in this."
Lucky for Ratford, Kaeron understood curses. You fuck over enough witches and you get cursed once or twice. He positioned the book upright, brought the key down to its pages like he was sticking it into a keyhole, and turned it to the right. He could immediately feel the curse lift, but he didn't move to open the book.
"So Ratford... Draefin doesn't know I'm here, right?"
******
Lex blinked tiredly and stretched every inch of her sprawled out body. Lillian must have gotten tired of letting Lex use her lap like a pillow at some point. She rubbed her eyes and tried to get a look at her surroundings, but the room was pitch black.
Lex sat up and yawned before pulling back the curtains, letting in a bit of moonlight.
Lex jumped as her brain registered the motionless woman kneeling on the floor hands clasped in front of her, one eye shut, the other was focused on something in the darkness before them.
Her moms head whipped toward Lex, and her eye opened.
"Mom! What are you doing?" Lex asked, calming her heart.
"You scared me, sweetheart." Her mother cackled.
"I scared you? Why are you sitting in the dark?"
Her mother smiled. "Do you still remember that spell I taught you as a kid?"
"Illuminate?"
Her mother's smile brightened. "Exactly. Do you remember the chant?"
Lex nodded and took a breath. Kaeron had always been a better fighter than Lex, but he couldn't compare to her talents when it came to using the witch blood of their mother. Maybe it had something to do with Lex being born with the Dragon Shifter Type B anomaly, unlike Kaeron.
Lex quietly chanted under her breath, calling to the magic in her blood, whipping it into a frenzy. The overwhelming and yet familiar taste of strawberries flooded her mouth. "The Deitas mark." Their mother had explained to her when Lex had been learning the spell. Apparently, an inconsequential amount of a witches' life essence is used every time they use a spell and is marked by a taste. The taste apparently differs depending on the bloodline.
For the Deitas bloodline, it was strawberries.
"Illuminate." Lex spoke the magical command, and immediately the room lit up in a bright golden ray that inexplicably felt easy on the eyes.
The wonders of magic.
The smile on her mother's face reminded Lex of the good times, the times when their mother would get off of the drugs and away from the men, and she'd make them her special blueberry pancakes with bacon inside, scrambled eggs and grilled cheese, and the three of them would eat together on the bed. They never owned a TV because they could never afford one, so their mother would tell stories of great witches from the Deitas bloodline, and Kaeron would always complain about how their mother would sneak a hug in and how Lex would help in the "assault" as he would call it, but Lex knew that he secretly enjoyed it.
"Where did Lillian go?" Lex asked suddenly. Those days were gone.
"She. Knowledge Crystal." Her mom giggled, and Lex shook her head.
"Are you telling me you let her use a Knowledge Crystal? Why?" Both Lex and even Kaeron had fallen unconscious for an entire day the first time they had used one, and they both have witch blood and dragon shifter blood. Lillian wouldn't be waking anytime soon. Great. "You do realize she's human, right?" Lex sighed.
"Is she now." Her mom paused like she was considering the fact. "I didn't notice."
Lex sighed again. "Yeah, well, she is so be more careful with her than you were with us."
The mood... plummeted.
"Shit. Mom, I didn't mean..."
"Goodnight, Lexie."
"No, mom, wait, I didn't..."
Her mother shook her head. "No, you're just. You're. Being honest. Lexie. Goodnight. At least I know how you. You're going to leave me for her, aren't you! How could you leave your own mother!"
Lex froze in place as her mother turned her back to her and started towards her room. "Goodnight, Kaeron." Their mother said before disappearing behind a corner.
Tears stung Lex's cheeks, and she felt like punching something. Why couldn't she just have loved them more than the drugs. Why. Why. Why!
The Illuminate spell she had cast exploded in a barrage of angry red lights, leaving behind a rotten strawberry smell in the air. Lex dropped to her knees, turned around, and started to chant.
"Silence." And just like that, it were as if all the sound were turned off, leaving her alone too fall apart in peace and so she screamed. She screamed until it felt like her throat would give out. She screamed until her muscles threatened to lock like they were rebelling against how she was misusing them. She screamed until she couldn't feel anything anymore, and she was left gasping for air.
The spell she had placed vanish way quicker than she had meant for. She was out of practice..
The sound of the front door turning made her jump to her feet, which was a big mistake. The screaming had made her lightheaded and dizzy, so she crumpled to the ground just as fast as she had gotten off of it.
"Lex?"
The familiar voice made her head shoot up, and even though a wall of dark hid his face, she knew it was Kaeron. It was always Kaeron. Tears bit at the back of her eyes as Kaeron froze where he stood from inside the doorway.
"What happened!?" He growled. If it wasn't Kaeron who was stomping over towards her, she'd just think the rising temperature and difficulty breathing was only a oncoming panic attack but knowing Kaeron if she didn't calm him down soon he'd end up doing something stupid...
"Why are you trying to save me, Lex!"
Something cracked inside of her, and she just laughed, and the dam that was holding the tears back. Burst, and a rushing river of hot tears stained her cheeks.
"Me and mom got caught up."
******
"Now say it with me." Kaeron said, digging into the cooler of beers he had sat on the console between them. He brought that cooler everywhere he went, and just because it had in ice crystal (which was admittedly cool), he would mention how cold the drinks were just a little too often. He pulled a beer from out the ice and opened it for her before handing it over. "This is why we don't visit that woman."
Lex took the offering. The cold felt good on the tips of her fingers, and she considered rubbing it across her neck instead of drinking...
"Cheers." Kaeron smiled, opening his own and began to chug. Lex smiled back and chugged her own. She really needed to get out of her head before she exploded, and chunks of Lex sprayed against the windshield.
After Lex had finally pulled herself together, (no thanks to her "always in attack mode" moron of an older brother), she had talked Kaeron down, but he refused to let her stay there, and Lex didn't really put up a fight so he found Lillian and carried the sleeping girl out of the house, followed by Lex they walked over to where Kaeron had parked his car and he basically tossed Lillian in the back, (which Lex appropriately scolded him for), and the two were now parked outside of a neighbors house, and thanks to the lack of street lamps on the block, they were cloaked by the night.
"Uhm, that's actually not that bad." Lex said tossing the finished can out the window and grabbing for another.
"Lex." Kaeron said softly but sternly. "We have to talk about the little lost lamb that we've been sheltering, unsuccessfully, and her connection with the Golem, that in the eyes of the world powers, doesn't exist."
Lex threw up her hands like she was surrendering. "What do you want me to say. An undocumented golem is hunting her down on the orders of some yet to be named necromancer who probably wants to cash in on the bounty. There we talked."
Kaeron shook his head. "Just listen. No necromancer is dumb enough to create a golem without going through the proper channels. They're all too afraid of the repercussions, but somebody was clearly willing to take that risk and have gone through great lengths to keep it hidden, and yet... They sent it out for a few million Vorx coins?"
"Money speaks." Lex shrugged.
"Sure, but something has been off about this girl from the minute we met her. A human girl with no family, with a bounty on her head worth a fortune. Placed by one of the most influential men on the upper half of Solaris... Now that I think about it. The Atriuems are necromancers. I bet that it's his pet."
Lex shook her head. "No way, you really think he'd risk not only his own life but his brother the kings life as well?"
"I'd say it's a safe bet, given the unusual lengths he's gone to so far to procure the girl, and Lamb even said he was there with her the entire time she was locked away."
"I don't know. I mean, yes, I agree with you. Their's something off about her. I didn't tell you because I'm still not sure what I saw, but... I think I saw her glow and then shock me in order to pull me away from your side back in Lucian forest."
Kaerons head flew back, and for a moment, Lex regretted telling him. She should've known better. Of course, he'd overreact...
He was laughing. "I knew it. There was no way she could have talked you into leaving." He stopped laughing as suddenly as he had started and turned her way, locking her in place with a look. "Tell me everything. "