Chapter 24 More Than Fate
MORE THAN FATE
As soon as the words left me, I felt it.
The immediate shift in him. The way Oblivion’s eyes closed briefly as though the sound of my denial had struck deeper than I had intended.
Something in his expression tightened for the smallest fraction of a second before it was gone again.
Locked away behind that same impenetrable control, though it hadn’t gone unnoticed, and the guilt in that reaction hit harder than anything else.
“So, you see, the claim is void, and she needed somewhere safe, away from him,” Bo pushed, getting to his feet and standing closer to me. Something Oblivion really didn’t like, as he warned with a growl of words,
“The girl is mine, cretin!”
“You don’t own her!” Bo snapped back, and the temperature seemed to drop. Enough that it settled beneath the skin, as if my body was telling me something was seriously wrong. And I was right, because Oblivion moved then, just a single step, yet enough to shift the balance entirely.
“Careful,” he said, the word so threatening, I felt the fear roll off Bo.
Yet despite it, he still held his ground, though I saw it, that flicker of hesitation.
That brief fracture that hadn’t been there before, and Oblivion saw it too, his focus sharpening instantly as his gaze narrowed with dangerous precision.
“The girl will come with me,” he said, and this time there was no mistaking it. It wasn’t a warning…
It was a promise.
“I…” I stuttered, unsure what to say, despite all the arguments I wanted to throw his way. But his dark gaze held me prisoner, leaving me unable to defend myself.
The tension pulled tighter between us all, stretched thin and ready to snap, when Walder moved. He rose to his feet before placing himself between them without ever truly blocking the space. His presence settled like something immovable.
“That’s enough,” Walder said calmly, his voice quiet yet carrying effortlessly through the room, before he continued,
“I understand your resentment towards him, Wye, but you are in my house now, in my Vault, and I don’t need to tell you what that means.” His tone was measured, though something sharper edged beneath it now.
Oblivion stilled then, not in submission, never that, but in recognition, as Walder’s gaze flicked briefly toward Bo before returning to him.
“He paid,” he added, the words carrying more authority than they needed.
“He took my Siren, Tarik,” Oblivion stated, as if this were some great crime against him. As for me, I opened my mouth ready to argue when Walder warned, quietly,
“I wouldn’t deny the claim again, little dove, for my friend’s patience does have its limits.” My mouth snapped shut after that, making him wink at me before facing Oblivion once more.
“That may be so, which is why I will allow you to question him, but you will not do so as though this space belongs to you,” he stated, making Oblivion grit his teeth before nodding in acceptance.
As the line had clearly been drawn and for the first time since Oblivion had entered the room, he had been made to pause.
Although it didn’t last, because his attention shifted again, returning to me with a weight that made my chest tighten.
“You left with him, freely?” The underlying hurt in that question made me flinch.
“I told you,” I said quickly, shaking my head as the denial rose before I could stop it,
“I’m not your Siren.”
“That claim on your skin says otherwise,” Oblivion replied, his voice steady and unyielding. My breath caught as my hand lifted instinctively toward my neck before stopping halfway, my thoughts scrambling to hold onto something that made sense.
“No,” I pushed, the words coming faster now,
“And I can prove it!”
He narrowed his eyes at this, his lips thinning as if he was seconds away from saying to hell with the rules and just grabbing me.
“How?” Walder was the one to ask, lifting a hand to stop Oblivion before he could protest.
“The relic… I used it and it… It didn’t show anything, it didn’t react, it was just… me, as I am… nothing.” I pushed out painfully, making Oblivion flinch before closing his eyes as if pained by my words once more.
“Don’t say that, Inanna… ever again,” Oblivion said, his voice dark and foreboding, as though I had committed some unforgivable sin by even speaking the words.
Walder, meanwhile, released a heavy sigh, his gaze shifting from me to Oblivion as though already bracing for what would come next.
“That is why you ran from him?” Walder asked, making me nod.
“So, you see, I had every right to…” Oblivion's furious snarl of anger stopped Bo from saying more.
“Who was holding it?” Walder asked, his tone quieter now, more focused.
“What does that matter?” I shot back, the words slipping out before I could temper them.
“I know what I saw.”
“Answer the question,” Oblivion said smoothly, his gaze already shifting past me with intent and going directly to Bo. Someone who had now gone statue still and looked oddly guilty.
“Erh, he was,” I said, gesturing toward Bo,
“Bo had it in his hand. I just looked.” Heavy silence followed then, before Oblivion spoke again, his tone precariously calm as he asked,
“You are in possession of the Mirror of Veritas?” Walder inclined his head slightly.
“I am now.”
“Curious,” Oblivion continued, his gaze flicking toward Bo with quiet precision,
“As I was under the impression that the relic belonged to another Enforcer.” The weight of both their attention settled on him instantly, and Bo stiffened under it. While Walder’s expression remained composed, something in his gaze sharpened almost imperceptibly.
“It matters not, for it is in my possession now, and as you are well aware, I do not relinquish what falls within my domain,” Walder stated, making Oblivion shrug his shoulders.
“And I have no interest in interfering with your affairs, as I trust you have no interest in interfering with mine.” His eyes shifted then, settling on me with pointed intent, and despite myself, I felt the urge to shrink back beneath it. Bo stepped forward again, unwilling to let it rest.
“She has free will!” he argued again, as if trying once last time to save me from my fate. One that Oblivion was dictating for me.
“I brought her here for protection,” Bo added, and Walder frowned at that before pointing out,
“Yes, but I don’t believe she requires protection from her Fated,”
“But I already told you… I’m not his…” I started, snapping the words before my breath stuttered when Walder leaned in slightly. His voice dropping as he murmured,
“I would advise you to say very little at this point, little dove, the adults are talking.” The condescension landed immediately, pulling an insulted huff from me that only seemed to amuse him, his lips curving faintly as he straightened once more.
Bo, however, didn’t relent.
“You gave us your word,” he pressed, casting judgment towards Walder, who replied smoothly,
“And I honored it, for you were granted sanctuary but not immunity. And as for the human, the rules differ for her. You should know this, being the one to bring her here despite knowing what trouble you brought to my door.”
“But I –” Bo tried, and this time Walder snarled.
I flinched back, my breath catching as something far more terrifying slipped through him, his features momentarily veiled by something demonic.
The image burned into me instantly, a carved black skull where his face had been, crowned with flaming horns that rose above it, the vision lasting only a heartbeat yet searing itself into my mind as though it would never leave.
“You knew he would come for her. Perhaps not so soon, but one day, for you knew he would never stop hunting her… and you, of all people, Boruta, should know that Fate is not to be meddled with.” At this, Bo gave up, slumping down next to me and offering me a small, defeated,
“I’m sorry, girly. I tried.”
“Bo?” I said his name in question, but he lowered his head, as if he knew what was coming next.
“Then it has been decided,” Walder stated, now stepping aside, and my head snapped up just in time to see Oblivion storming my way, cutting the rest of the distance between us. I tried to scramble back, but I wasn’t quick enough before his hand closed firmly around my wrist.
“NO!” I shouted in a pointless attempt to get him to stop, as he pulled me to a stand on wobbly feet.
“Oblivion…” I started, but he didn’t stop, didn’t pause, and didn’t give me the chance. Instead, in one smooth motion, he lifted me from the ground, his arm securing around me as he threw me effortlessly over his shoulder. The world tilted sharply as I was forced to brace myself against him.
“Bo!” I called, reaching back instinctively, but he didn’t move, couldn’t, because Walder’s grip held him firmly in place, with a meaty hand to his shoulder.
I struggled against him, but Oblivion didn’t release me. If anything, his hold settled more firmly. Not tightening in a way that caused pain, but in a way that made it unmistakably clear that the decision had already been made.
That I was his to claim back.
“I request use of my room,” Oblivion said, and there was no softness to it, yet it wasn’t a demand. He spoke like it was already settled, as though the answer had never been anything but yes.
For a brief moment, Walder said nothing, and Oblivion held me in such a way that I could turn my head. Something that allowed me to catch his expression for myself, the faintest hint of a knowing smile touching his mouth.
“I trust you remember the way,” Walder replied, and I felt Oblivion nod in return, considering I was still draped over his shoulder.
The ease of it made something click into place, because it meant Oblivion hadn’t just been here before, but enough that he had once claimed a space of his own within these walls.
But what surprised me more was what Walder said next, just as Oblivion turned to leave, his steps pausing the moment his voice carried after us.