Chapter 340: Basement
Arwin didn’t let his surprise at seeing Art show on his face. He fortunately hadn’t been taken completely off guard. Rodrick had warned him that the boy was likely to return. It was just a bit odd to see him this early in the morning. A re-meeting like this felt like it would be best saved for the evening or late at night.
“Art,” Arwin said. He took a step back from the door and nodded toward the table. Rodrick had done more than give them a warning of Art’s likely return. He’d also primed them on what to say. Arwin wasn’t sure why that was necessary, but he saw no reason to start doubting the former Inquisitor now. “Rodrick told me that you’d be coming back.”
If Rodrick was right, the next thing he says should be something about his father not being dead.
“I’m sure he did,” Art said as he and Vix followed Arwin into the Devil’s Den. The three of them sat down at the tavern where Kien had just been. Art leaned his cane against the table and interlaced his fingers. “I’m sure he’d be pleased to know that my father still lives.”
God, this is creepy. How the hell did he know that Art would follow up with that?
“He would,” Arwin confirmed, trying his best to not let the goosebumps prickling against his back show on his features. “We have no desire to cause pointless death. That isn’t what we stand for.”
“Yes, we got your message quite well.” Art reached into a pocket and pulled his deck of cards out. He rifled through them, pulling a cart free without looking at the cards’ faces once. He flipped it around to reveal Arwin’s sketch drawn upon it.
A flame licked across the top of the card. It enveloped the paper in an instant, swallowing the entire thing with a whoosh. The card burned away within a second, leaving nothing but a few flecks of ash to float through the air in its wake.
Arwin’s nose wrinkled at the smell of burnt paper. Rodrick hadn’t told him that Art was going to go around starting fires.