Chapter 107: Governance
Apology after apology, one running into the next, all of it for the trouble her daughter had caused him. She’d nearly dropped to her knees before he stopped her. That image alone had been following him around all day.
Margaret had looked worn out, with fatigued eyes, a posture that had given up holding itself straight, and deep dark circles. Like she hadn’t slept in a long time and had stopped expecting to.
The Vey family had risen. They had power and everything that was supposed to make life easier. So what was still grinding that poor woman down?
They were crowding in, tangling with his concern for Margaret in a way that made everything harder to think through.
He’d been working through the books Emma gave him and hadn’t gotten past the first. Not because it was difficult, but because something about it felt off. It read like a story parents told their children at bedtime.
Tsk.
His thoughts were already heading somewhere else when Amber’s words cut through and brought him back.
Scar frowned.
Most people on the floor knew they were being watched. That knowledge didn’t stop much. And none of them could see through from their side regardless.
Didn’t know his name. He had no idea he was dealing with a Rover.
The idiocy wasn’t the point, and it wasn’t why Scar had held off on banning him.
What Scar needed right now was the Chosen One, an ancient tablet that had made itself deliberately difficult to find.
What made the man interesting had nothing to do with his tantrum. He was a marketing manager at a newspaper company, and not just any newspaper. One of the oldest publications still running.
The man’s past didn’t particularly interest Scar. Everyone had something to cry over. What interested him was how to use that sorrowful past to his advantage.
"Leave him be. See that smile? He probably thinks he’ll win today, but he’s going to lose. Once Crook has him under his thumb, it’s all over."
Amber frowned.
Scar turned toward Amber, who stood behind him, and gave her a lazy look. He had no idea why she wouldn’t just sit down. He’d asked countless times. She never seemed comfortable doing it.
"I expected that. I’ve already asked Bend and Herd to research it, and I’ve summoned Purple and Marvel as well. I believe they’ll be of assistance."
"Even if we know its location, claiming it won’t be easy. We’ll need their support to assemble a group of trusted allies."
If it were sitting in a museum, the path would be straightforward: visit, read, leave. No complications worth naming.
If Purple got on the case, he knew it would be over in a shift.
Still. She was a force to reckon with, and with her help, they might retrieve the tablet without any complications at all.
There was progress, and he could see it, especially in his meditation and swordsmanship. But not enough to speak of yet.
After a while, a soft smile tugged on his lips.