The stakes are higher than ever.
It's been months since the four managed to temporarily defeat and escape Laurel, Amber, Kali and the others but the four's problems are far from over. Forced to live with their guilt and still plagued by nightmares o...
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Huntalia - Rosalia's POV:
I didn't know what to do or say in light of what Ash mentioned about it being my decision. Or rather mine and Hunter's since, as Ash rightly said, we were the reigning monarchs of Aerilion so had to make the decisions. Just as it's been for the past two-plus years we'd been doing it. But how to choose? How to choose what to do when neither option feels either right or safe, both for me and the other people I'd be involving?
Taking a breath I ignore Amber's presence - something that gives me no greater joy - and turn to Hunter in the hopes that he would be able to help me make the best decisions I could given the two hard solutions to the problem we were currently faced with. What do we do love? Do we accept that she knows and try to fix it or do we call her bluff? I keep looking at him the longer he doesn't speak but I can tell he's no closer to finding a solution to our problems. But what I raised was a valid question. Did we call her bluff and risk whatever came next? Or did we try to squirm our way out of this?
I don't know Roe, Hunter's tone is contrite for some reason but no matter how I try to read into the reason behind the sudden emergence of that emotion in his tone. Though if it's anything to do with the secret the two - sorry three - of us had been carrying around for the past two years I can understand. I think we can't call her bluff in case she is serious about whatever she thinks she dug up.
What's to say she even knows that secret? Leila chips in with her though on the situation and I see her frowning at me slightly where she'd still been cuddled up with Ash but able to look over where I was still with Hunter. What's to say she's not calling our bluff by making us scramble around to hide some deep dark secret when she may not know anything? I can see the merit of her words but something inside me stops me from just accepting it without another reason or explanation. Leila sighs and rests her head back against Ash's shoulder who holds her even closer than before, her eyes half on mine and half searching the room. Yea, I know that given that she's been brought up by Kali Starr her and the truth seems to be far apart but I can't just not consider it. Can you?
Now her eyes are on mine and I can see the blazing conviction in them. The strength that she seems to have in spades but that only Ash seemed to have been able to bring out of her at the start. I'm tempted to smile or would have been if not for the seriousness of what she said and the predicament we were all still facing. Because what Leila brought up was right, could we risk calling Amber's bluff and wait to see if she'd do something we'd regret? Could we do that with so many people already being involved in our generation plus whoever else of mine, Hunter's, Leila's and Ash's children and their friends being added in? How could we risk so many lives and still feel ok with it and ourselves? It just wasn't possible. We couldn't do it. It hurt to admit that but we couldn't call her bluff and hope she was faking it. Too many lives were riding on the four of our shoulders. We couldn't do it and risk it, too many people needed us. Now and later.
No. no we can't. I respond to her with a heavy mental sigh that has Leila, Ash and Hunter looking at me with concerned expressions. We can't just blindly call her bluff but I'm not saying to believe her either. My words feel heavy and slow but only because I'm so afraid, a feeling I'm sick to the back teeth of. I'm tired of being afraid. So fucking tired of it. That's what Chalice said last round and I'm sure I said during the first round I played in this twisted and macabre excuse of a game. And the words that seemed to ring so true for so many of us still trapped playing even now. We can't blindly call her bluff but I don't and won't trust her. Not with so much to lose and so many people's lives being involved.
