Zora: The Leviathan's Eye

Part 7: Abandon ship

Table of contents:

Chapter XXXVI: The key

Chapter XXXVII: Abandon ship

Chapter XXXIIX: Lost allies

Chapter XXXVI: The key

"Tryston?"

Malay's voice trembled delicately through her question and her watery questioning stare held to Tryston's sulking form. Tryston was unable to meet her eyes, his own welling up and dropping singular drops down onto the damp wood floor.

Tryston made his way somberly over to the edge of the bars, then sat on the floor crossing his legs and burying his face in his hands, whispering to what Zora though to be himself, though she was close enough to hear,

"What have I done? How, after all the times I've witnessed The Order's careless handling of human life, as they dangled that poor life in front of me, could I ever have been swayed to do the same? Maybe The Order WAS protecting the others?" Tryston mourned  

Zora did not understand what his final statement had meant, but rather than being pulled into his lamentations, Zora all of a sudden had had enough.

Sure, the whole scene was a bit much to take in, not every day you see a golden angelic looking figure strangling a man into gold... while floating. She'll give that its due, but who did this little girl think she was? Regardless of Tryston's misplaced trust Zora would not let this trained member of The Order manipulate Tryston with guilt. That's all guilt was, a tool to get others to do what you wanted and she couldn't stand by and do nothing as her greatest tool was being devoured from the inside. She had her ways of manipulation too.

"Tryston, you did exactly what NEEDED to be done. You hear me?! Don't waste your tears on those who would have shed none for you. You have done the world a service. Zud would have tried to kill us, and he might have succeeded, and I guarantee you it wouldn't have been the first time he killed. You hear me? You rid the world of a killer! If that is not worth doing, I don't know what is." Zora chided

She laced her short speech with empathy and as much care as she could muster, actually, she was surprised how easy it was.

I must be more desperate than I thought

She squatted next to him in the cell, holding one of the rusted iron bars in her free hand, the other she laid comfortingly on Tryston's shoulder.

He raised his face out of his hands, he looked as if he'd seen a ghost his face was so pale and drained. His eyes looked hollowed out into dark pits and distant almost empty. His shoulders rolled down and his body was as depleted as his words,

"I did not rid the world of a killer, I simply traded places with one." Tryston said down casted

"No you didn't!" came an ecstatic voice ringing with optimism. "Tryston, Zud lives!"

Tryston and Zora again turned in unison towards Malay, Tryston's face looked as if his life hung in the clutches of the last two words she spoke. Zora on the other hand looked far more sour. She couldn't help it. She didn't really think she believed that Zud was that big a threat, yet for some reason all she could feel was a missed opportunity to have been rid of an obvious loose end. But again her moment to try and reflect in finding the source of such malicious thoughts was snatched away when she saw the look of triumph Malay keenly flashed at her. Tryston, completely preoccupied, rose and drifted over to the bars closest to Zud, fixated on the steady rise and fall of the golden clothes above his chest, completely oblivious to the none verbal battle going on between the two woman in the small room. Zora seethed, as she was forced to face the true depth of danger this girl could enact upon them and their final goal and regretfully conceded that The Order had chosen extremely well.