Nefarious

C189 - The waiting game

-Eugene's point of view-

Hayden sat before me with the most shameful face I'd ever seen. His belated confession could change everything, and it didn't make it any better that we had to send Dane himself to deliver the alarming news. "How could you do that, Hayden? Who in their right mind could ever do something like that?" I asked, staring at Dane's desk rather than him. "Back then, I thought I was doing the right thing. Can't you try seeing it from my perspective? I just wanted to protect my people, is that so wrong?" Hayden blurted out. "You ripped away that security the second you left this castle with your secret! I thought you were crazy for having a child with Jace's sister, and I seriously didn't think you could top that, but you did. Somehow, your stupidity managed to impress me even greater, Hayden. Please, do tell me how your mind works because I can't seem to understand a damn thing about you," I said, raising my voice gradually. "We can't always avoid death, Eugene," he answered boldly. "No one simply avoided death, Hayden. On the contrary, you caused it unnaturally. You're to blame for their death, and there isn't a single excuse that'll lead to forgiveness. Now you'll just have to hope for your brother to return alive. If not, things could get real ugly here without a leader," I said finally.

-Valerie's point of view-

Dane informed me of an event that took place in his castle, and to most accurately describe my reaction, I malfunctioned. I hadn't taken time to take in the fact that Rain was gone, and what Dane told me sent me over the edge. I never thought I could feel such deep grief on someone else's behalf until I experienced it right in front of Dane. "I know it's overwhelming, trust me, I do. Nevertheless, we genuinely don't have time to prioritize ourselves in terms of feelings. I know you value those around you, and at this point, to act is how you can truly show them that you do care." I tilted my head, my voice refusing to speak, but my head nodded automatically. We'd gone too easy on Xylan, and by practically paving his way, we distanced ourselves from reality. For months Xylan had worked on a major plan to conquer all castles; not only those with relation to him personally. During those months, I, among others, had sat numbly in our rooms with no more in-depth conversation than the smaller rule changes. Xylan had worked tactically by only showing us some of the new, almost insignificant rules, fooling most to think he wasn't evil. Saying I'd had enough would be an understatement.

Dane and I tiptoed upstairs, avoiding contact with anyone. He'd put on his caps again, which probably fooled people into believing he was Xavier. I'd suggested for us to find Alex for advice regarding the note Dane currently had. As we discussed what other proof we could use against him, Dane suddenly stopped in his tracks, his facial expression changing drastically. "Jeez, did you suddenly have an epiphany or something?" I asked. "During the invasion, I saw Xylan purposefully ignoring Alex when he was in desperate need of his help. He tried sabotaging Alex to become the leader, that must count for something, right? I can attest to that specific situation!" he blurted out. "Good input, I completely forgot about that. However, you're considered an enemy here. How could you possibly get anyone here to listen to you?" I frowned. "You're right," he sighed.

I locked eyes with a random girl from a distance, and I could've sworn that I saw her winking at me. Whether that was the case or not became irrelevant, though. All that mattered was the fact that she reminded me of the countless other witnesses present that same day. If we could find one person brave enough to speak up, we could ruin Xylan's reputation even more. "We should stop by the practice room," I said in a low voice. I began walking directly toward it without even paying attention to Dane, determined to find a member willing to attest.

Conveniently enough, there were a few girls present in the practice room. They were reviewing something written on several papers; presumably the new set of rules. I knocked weakly on the door as I entered as not to startle them. I presented my request, asking if any of them were fighting close to Alex during the invasion. Some lied to me, and it didn't feel right to force the truth out as speaking against Xylan is probably the worst I could ask them to do. Thankfully though, one girl raised her hand and nodded. She adjusted her glasses, her puppy eyes glancing over at Dane who hid his face still. "Are you willing to attest for Alex in terms of facing Xylan himself? Please only accept if you're actually going to follow through with it. We don't have any time to lose," I said. She pushed her blonde locks behind her ears before jumping down from the table she sat on. Approaching me, I took notice of her contemplative eyes. "I'd want nothing more than to speak up about Xylan. After all, I'm convinced he's the one who's hiding Rain from us. Poor girl, she must be exhausted," she exhaled deeply. I swallowed oddly, feeling Dane's arm nudging me in the back discreetly. "Exactly, we should definitely take Rain's wellness into consideration," I answered, smiling faintly.