43. Chapter 43
Chapter 43
Zeph
I t feels good to be spending time with Loris again.
Ever since we found out Summer magic was growing stronger, he and Taegan have been at my place, planning for how we can reduce the number of followers Himureal is gaining while pushing them towards Viola so when the time comes, she has the support she needs to overthrow him.
It feels very similar to all the planning we did to expose Mace and the Race just weeks ago.
I'm doing all of this while pretending to still be the Frostweaver's dutiful high priest and not get caught double-crossing him.
The pain in my chest is all but gone, and the only thing I can think of that is making it better is the lightness I feel now that Loris and I have worked everything out. I still feel an incredible amount of guilt for my actions against Tulip and towards Viola, but I can see now that stewing in that guilt does nothing to make things better.
When I get my chance, I will apologize. I will acknowledge my wrongs.
But until then, all I can do for Viola is try to find a way to cripple Himureal.
I am doing this because getting followers for her is the right thing to do. And maybe that will mean that when she gets here, she will forgive me and give me a chance to be in her life in any capacity.
I am unsure if I will be okay with watching her be with Mace if it comes to it, but right now, this is the best I can offer her.
Loris is leaning over my table, pouring over the design for his tournament challenge tomorrow.
"Okay, walk me through this again?" he says as Taegan sits two glasses of liquor in front of us before sinking into a chair. I give Taegan a grateful smile. The blond Helios is handsome, with kind eyes that convey just how much he loves my best friend, and I can't be happier for Loris that he found someone who feels so strongly for him.
I tap on the diagram. "The final challenge is an escape. Each of you four will be put into rooms with puzzles specifically designed to your skills to trap you in. We had to wait to see who was going to be in the final so we could make it equally hard for each of you. The first one to get out of their room will be named the champion." I look at him, narrowing my eyes. "And you're sure you want to be the champion?"
He scratches his jaw before he takes a sip of the liquor. "It's why I joined. It's just lucky I got you around to my side to help rig it so I can win. Would've been nice to know what I was up against with the last one."
I snort into my glass as I take a small sip. I'm still trying to reduce the amount I'm drinking. "Better late than never? You fucking destroyed that challenge all on your own."
He preens, brushing imaginary dust off his shoulder. Today, he wears a violently yellow shirt that dips in the front down his sternum, along with his standard black boots and tight black trousers. "Still, it'll be nice to know I don't have to worry about a basilisk this time."
"Yeah, well, except the rooms are going to have a ton of water pouring into them."
Taegan spits out his drink. "He can't use his magic, he'll get hurt!"
"I imagine that's the point, Tae," Loris says softly, touching the back of his hand. "There are no Nereids in the challenge, so they can use it as a deterrent."
"But there is an escape hatch in all of the rooms, so we can get you out if you struggle. What you have to do is find it and treat it as a legitimate escape." I show him where it is on the drawing.
"How am I going to make it look like you didn't just tell me where it is?"
I've thought about that. It's a risk, having him use the hatch, but I think we can make it work. "You're going to have to struggle with the room a bit first. In your room, it's here, behind the bookcase and hidden between the stones."
"Easy enough," Loris remarks, leaning close to the map. "Why wouldn't everyone just open the hatch?"
I grimace, knowing he'll hate what I say next. "Well, the hatches were designed to be opened by Lightning magic."
Taegan is on his feet now, shouting about the dangers, how this was unacceptable and would not be happening, and how we needed to find a way, but it's hard to hear him over Loris' roaring laughter.
"Of course they fucking were. It couldn't be as easy as me just pushing it open." He sits back in his chair, raking his fingers through his hair. "So I'll have to literally risk getting electrocuted to open this hatch." I grimace. "In that case, I hope I can figure out another way out. What does the task actually look like?"
I pick up my glass and take a small sip of the liquor. "As the room fills with water, you'll work on a series of intelligence puzzles that will eventually unlock the side of the room, pouring out the water. You can either rush through those and hope you're the first, or you can stumble upon the escape hatch, use your magic to blow it open, and definitely be the first."
He chews on his lip. "So we're all getting filled with water, but are our puzzles the same?"
I shake my head. "No, those have been designed to stump you by your head Seasonale."
He groans, no doubt realizing what that means for him. "Urdo hates me. There is no way my puzzles will be doable." Urdo stepped in after Mace left as the head Seasonale over Autumn, and Loris is not wrong that there is no love lost there. Loris can rub people the wrong way, and Urdo is no exception. "Fuck. Fuck. I'm going to have to risk my magic. Fucking Urdo."
"I still don't think I've heard that full story," Taegan says with a hint of amusement in his voice.
"That's on purpose," Loris groans, pressing his forehead on the table.
I laugh at his dramatics. "It's not that bad, really."
"Yes, it is. It really is."
"Someone needs to tell me what happened here," Taegan threatens, "or I'm going to throw a complete fit." He can't hold his straight face and he and I both break out laughing.
"I'll tell him," I say over Loris' groans. "A few years ago, Loris and Urdo had been spending time together working on fixing a section of the grid that kept going in and out. After their late nights working, they'd head to the Harsh Butcher and have a few drinks."
Loris is shaking his head back and forth now, his forehead still firmly planted on my table. Taegan's eyes are twinkling, and it is clear he enjoys watching his partner squirm. The ease of their relationship gives me a pang of jealousy. It's pure, accepting, and collaborative. They're partners in every sense of the word.
It feels odd to talk about Loris's previous exploits to his partner, but the story is too good not to share. "One night, after a few too many, Loris walked Urdo home, and Urdo invited him in."
"Oh, I can see where this is going," Teagan chuckles.
"No, you can't," Loris mumbles, muffled by the table.
"Urdo kissed Loris, and Loris got, uhm, excited," it's hard to speak over how hard I'm laughing, and I can't get the words out.
"What happened?" Taegan almost shouts, excitedly bouncing in his seat .
"I was drunk and excited, and I…" Loris sits up from the table, face squished with embarrassment. "I sent a bolt of lightning right through his roof."
Taegan and I bend over, clutching the table in roars of laughter. "Loris, the most composed, most precise Bliksem anyone has ever seen, accidentally set intentions?" Taegan wipes tears from his eyes as he speaks. "How is that even possible?"
"I was trying to think of my next move, I wanted to say something about how working together made sparks fly between us."
"That was your line? Gods, you really have gotten better since then, haven't you?" Taegan teases.
Loris glares at him. "I must have, yes, since I've landed you." Taegan flushes and leans across the table to press a soft kiss on Loris' lips. Loris clears his throat, rubbing his hand on the back of his head. "So yeah, Urdo. I was just thinking about sparks flying, and I guess with my alcohol-induced haze, I focused so hard on it that the thought became intentions, and I just … Let sparks fly."
No matter how many times I've heard this story, it still sends me into rolling laughter every time. My eyes water, and my heart tightens at how normal this all feels.
We haven't had normalcy since Viola stumbled into Ytopie, and it feels so good to just sit around with friends and drink and laugh our asses off.
Especially at Loris' expense.
He's always so composed, so collected, and yet right now, he squirms in his chair like a kid who got in trouble at school .
"This is the best day of my life," Taegan roars, pulling Loris into his arms. I watch the two embrace with a lazy smile. They clearly care deeply for one another, and it's something I hope I can one day experience for myself, that ability to just let go and be unapologetically yourself with someone.
After we have succeeded in turning Loris bright red and finished ribbing him over his dating blunders, we get back to the task at hand: figuring out how to get him to win the challenge tomorrow.
"Right, so Urdo hates you, and the puzzles are going to be more difficult than necessary. Do you think you can convincingly fake finding the escape hatch?" I ask, pointing at the spot on the diagram again.
"I think so. People just want a show, right? I'll give them a show." He picks up the paper and folds it up, sliding it into his pocket to bring home and study.
"But you're going to try the puzzles first," Taegan says. It's not a question, it's a command.
Loris rolls his eyes, "I will be just fine either way."
"No, absolutely not. You're trying the puzzles first, trying to get out the right way," Taegan demands. "You've done great on your own with the prior challenges. That hatch needs to be a last-ditch effort. I couldn't handle it if something happened to you."
They've risen to head out, but their spat has them in a standoff in my foyer. Loris moves to Taegan and wraps his arms around the man's waist and pulls him close. Taegan tilts his head up to lock eyes with the Blicksem. "Taegan, I love you, but you worry too much. I know this is dangerous, but I need you to trust me out there. Zeph is looking out for me, I know what to expect. It's the other competitors you need to worry about."
The Helios groans and pushes his partner away. "You're too cocky, Loris."
"You love that about me."
"Of course I do. Fine," he concedes and turns his gaze on me. "Zeph, you will step in and save him." Again, it's not a question but a demand.
"I won't need to, Taegan. But yes, you know I will look out for him."
That seems to be good enough because they move towards me, and I embrace each of them. I pull Loris tight and wrap my arms around him. "I really missed you, buddy. Thanks for giving me another shot."
He pulls back and looks at me, that sly smile of his making his eyes sparkle. "Don't make me regret it because you won't get another."