Amick #2
“You’re right, I do deserve this. Now I can use my position to actually help all of you rather than sit on the sidelines while you all fight the good fight.
I mean, don’t get me wrong, I still can’t swing a sword, but this,” he says, tapping his temple, “this can be a very useful weapon that I can wield to help protect all of you, like you’ve all protected me. Thanks, Amick. I really needed this.”
Oh my.
Thayla will surely kill me if he starts poking his nose where it doesn’t belong and ends up hurt or in the middle of all our madness.
I jump from my chair. “Lambrit, before—”
“Oh, hey, Nero,” Lambrit says, ignoring me while patting Nero on the back as he passes him by through my door.
Nero stands there, arm still raised as though he was going to knock, and I hang my head.
Great.
“Is now a bad time?” he asks, and I sigh.
“That depends. Are you here for a very misguided pep talk? If so, I’m fresh out of those.”
My sarcasm takes us both by surprise for a moment.
“Um, no. I’m good on the pep talks. I stopped by because Yemi said you needed to speak with me.”
My brows scrunch together. I said no such thing. I told her to tell him I needed him to accompany us…oh.
“She didn’t tell you what I needed, did she?”
“Specifically? No. Only that you needed to talk.”
I swear, Yemi Andino. You’re as stubborn as my Binder.
I can’t tell if she’s trying to force her men to grow closer to us or she’s truly too uncomfortable having tough conversations with them—mostly Nero.
“Well then. Are you aware what she and Thayla had to do this morning?”
“Something about placing barriers around people.”
“Something about…” I huff and stare at him. “Honestly, Nero, what is the communication issue between you and your Binder? It is so counterproductive having to repeat conversations and plans to you that should’ve already been had.”
His eyes narrow on me. “There are no issues between my Binder and me.”
“That’s clearly untrue. If there weren’t, you would already know that Yemi and Thayla removed one barrier and placed another around the dead bodies, not people, that are being used as evidence in my trial.
Yemi will have to attend the trial with us, and we want you there as our Mediator should we need one. ”
His mouth drops open as he stumbles to Thayla’s chair and proceeds to lower himself into it without my permission.
I don’t correct him as he seems to be in shock.
“She has to be present in front of the Beginning Gods? Why wouldn’t she tell me this?”
“You’ll have to ask her, Doren, or Sevryn that. They were all present for this conversation. I’m confident it’s due to your Valveilious allegiance and the way you play both sides, though.”
His face morphs into a small, unflattering sneer. “I don’t have Valveilious allegiance, nor do I play both sides. I’m not on any side. Just like my family, I’m middle aligned.”
“Yes, I suppose that’s true, and that’s where the main problem lies. You’re going against the grain of your own Valtrue because of habits and the mentality of your family. You’re going to cause this rift in your group to deepen, and in turn, cause a rift between Thayla and Yemi.”
He jerks his head like I smacked him. “What? No, it won’t.”
“It most certainly will eventually,” I say as I lower myself into my chair and lace my fingers on top of my desk.
“If you were to decide to report back all the things you’ve learned about us so far to your family, that could end very badly for my Binder.
Potentially her death. Some of the Beginning Gods still don’t know about her tie.
If they found that out, then found out she’s in possession of two Bindings, what do you think they’ll do to her? ”
His glare snaps toward the door as his jaw flexes.
“You know that answer. Hence why you haven’t said anything, although that’s what’s been ingrained in you to do.
You know, if you were to be the cause of harm to her, you’d not only suffer our wrath, but Yemi’s.
It’s quite confusing and selfish of you to continue this nonsense when it’s truly just hurting yours and your Binder’s relationship. ”
He throws his hands up and holds my stare.
“You, none of you, know the first thing about me, or what would happen to me if my family, their friends, and allies found out I chose to stand beside the sons of Obliteration. That would be viewed as me staking a claim for my entire family, and I’ll be punished for doing such a thing.
You all have no true concept of Valveilious and its inner workings.
It’s a different realm compared to the Godsdawn. ”
“Nothing will happen to you,” I state firmly, and his scowl flinches.
“I’ll admit, what I know of you is surface level.
I’ve looked into your family. I know their stances.
I’ve researched the mediations you’ve been responsible for and how you conduct yourself, but I do not know you.
I don’t truly know any of your Valtrue aside from Yemi and Sevryn.
What I do know is, you are now their family, which makes you our… friend.
“At least, that’s what we’re attempting to make you.
Friends do not betray friends, though. They stand up for one another, no matter what and no questions asked.
Just as we ran in blindly to Hellveilious for Iric, the Abandon for Sevryn, we’d run blindly to Valveilious for you, if you just gave us a chance. ”
His frown fractures as he releases a deep breath and rests his elbows on his knees. He stares down at his linked fingers as if they’ll give him the answers he seeks.
The defeat that washes over him is clear.
“That isn’t what you’re most concerned about, though. Is it?” I ask.
“It’s up there, yes, but the most concerning issue? No,” he breathes.
I nod as I reach into my drawer and pull out the file I made on him. His gaze travels up to my face as I flip through the pages, but I ignore him until I reach the one I was searching for.
“Three brothers. All Mediators, and all a part of highly successful Valtrues.”
“You seriously have a file on my family?”
“Well, yes. I just told you I looked into you.”
“How did you even gather all of that?”
“Very simply. Your father, Nathanel Valadi, has quite a reputation, and his mediations have plenty of records. He also thinks very highly of himself, given how he followed old naming traditions among you and your brothers. Besides the point, gods like to hear themselves talk. Riven likes to spy on people and gossip. I like to listen.”
I study his dumbfounded stare, then glance back down at my file.
“It didn’t stand out to me as odd at first, but your older brother, Nicolas, his gap in responsibilities a few years ago caught my attention.
He seemed to have an outburst that’s been remembered vaguely despite your family’s effort to cover it up.
Now, I’m not usually one to feed into rumors.
I do prefer proof, but sometimes speculation leads to great discoveries.
It seems the rumor surrounding your brother was centered on a romantic relationship he had with an Attendant who was assigned to your family. How true is that rumor?”
Hatred peers back at me through his misty glare, but I don’t believe it’s completely directed at me. If it is, so be it.
It’s well past time we got a clearer picture of this man and where he truly stands.
“True,” he grits out.
I hum. “And what happened to the Attendant when your family found out?”
“I don’t know. Truly. My parents have always claimed she ran away.”
“But thanks to your power and domain, you sensed their deception.”
He bristles the smallest amount and I arch a brow.
“Why did that shock you?”
“I guess since none of you have brought my power up, I figured you either didn’t know or were ignoring the topic.”
“We haven’t brought it up because you’re uncomfortable with us. Granted, I don’t know if my brothers or Thayla, for that matter, know you have a Domain under the Goddess of Accord. I haven’t bothered to share it with them.”
He slumps back into the chair.
“You’re telling the truth.”