Arc 7: Chapter 9: Stories
A lingering, weighty silence followed Kross’s words. The devils and dark things in the room turned their faces to look at me, all of them waiting, expecting me to react.
I drew in a deep breath, let it out, then turned to the door. “No.”
Kross blinked at me. “What? What do you mean, no?”
“No,” I said again with a shrug. “Lias can go to hell. Literally, I guess. He got himself into this mess, and I’m sure he’ll find a way to weasel out of it. I have other things to do.” Too many things.
Kross stood to his feet and lurched toward me, only to wince and clutch his side. “But… after everything I just told you? Did none of that sink in!?”
“It all sounded very important and complicated,” I agreed. “But what it boils down to is that you made an alliance with the least trustworthy man I know and he burned you. I’ll bet he’s halfway across Edaea by now. I’m not going to waste time looking for him.”
Kross spoke through his teeth. “An angel is hunting for him, along with my own order and a regiment of implacable, tireless soldiers. If they catch him, they will kill him and take the Zoscian back.”
“That’s his problem.” I paused before opening the door and turned back. “What did you expect, Vicar? Lias betrayed me. He turned his back on the queen we both swore our lives to. I’ve already mourned my old friend. Now, he’s just…” I trailed off, then shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. It’s his consequence. I’m happy to let him pay it.”
“And the artifact?” Kross demanded. “Have I not given you a strong enough notion as to how dangerous it is in the wrong hands?”
“Dangerous to you, yes. What did you call him? An iconoclaste? A powerful wizard who doesn’t like the gods with an object that lets him rewrite the laws of Hell. I imagine that’s got your masters sweating.”
I couldn’t say what Lias might do with the thing. If I were him, I’d shut the doors to this world in the devils’ faces and let that solve at least one of our problems. It would solve a lot of problems…