Theurgy: Forsaken Oaths (Book Two)

Chapter 25 To See and Know

    Massia sighed but did raise her hand over her heart. "I swear it, mother."

(X)

     Ryan was in his element for once. 

    As a bounty hunter, well, former bounty hunter, he supposed, a lot of his job was a test of patience. A lot of people tend to have that same misconception about the hobby. They expect him to be constantly on this exciting adventure, sneaking around and fighting, daring chases and escapes with weird and wacky villains. But in reality, it was just a lot of waiting. Wait for a bounty. Ride two weeks across a dessert. Wait. Find a town where he was last spotted. Wait. When you see him again, tail him. Wait. Then finally, confront him only if you hold an absolute advantage over him. At that point, they give up, recognizing that they were outmatched, and he takes them in. On much rarer occasions, they attempt to fight or flee, but his skill left little room for error. Bounty Hunting was just a hobby, but it was something he was good at. Waiting. Fighting. On occasion, even killing. That was what his life had been since he escaped Talin. That is what he has been taught since birth.

     So when Ryan heard they were going to do stakeouts near the docks, he was both amused and content. There was no way other people could do the same thing. The knight perhaps, but these other men would crack with the little actions, sitting in the same positions for hours waiting for anything, something suspicious to go down to reassure them of Lyse's plan. It wasn't a bad one, especially while they had little else in the way of actual options. The next idea would be to start digging big holes till they hit something, which may take too long. Talin would have fled by then. Ryan was concerned about why they hadn't fled by now, even. Surely the presence of two godslayers would be enough to chase them out. But obviously, they were taking their time, with no sense of urgency given what had occurred yesterday. Was it him, or was it Lyse? Perhaps they want to kill them as soon as possible, lure them into a ready trap, maybe? These questions he and Lyse pondered about.

     "It is more than likely that," Lyse said. "They seem very keen on killing us godslayers and or our families."

     "Experience?" Ryan asked him.

     Lyse sighed. "Perhaps another time. The point is that the longer we stay here, the more in danger we are in. They might send more Plithos to deal with us. And when that occurs, things will get far worse."

    "God?" Like that guy in my dreams and who we fought in the tunnels?"

     "Yeah, but worse," Lyse said. "They will send someone far more powerful after us
I believe."

      "Man, all this god stuff is piling on me, you know," Ryan said.
 
     "Well, you've been chasing Talin for years. And you tell me you knew nothing of gods and whatnot?"

   "Not a clue," he said softly. "Anyway, how about these other godslayers? You know where they are as well, yeah?"

    "The gods gave me this extra sense to find you all," Lyse said. "It fades when we're this close, but I am acutely aware of how far away from everyone I am. Talin shouldn't be able to tell who is and isn't a godslayer till we find them, so they should be safe till then. We shall commence gathering them after we leave Antalya. Then, we plan our counterattack."

   "And I suppose these gems shall be our weapons?" Ryan gestured to the amethyst crystal dangling from his neck. Its power was subtle, but Ryan could feel it growing, especially when fighting Aden. He never moved so fast in his life, and yet the power felt oddly suited to him, in a way. He was told of the gods and their strengths and what to expect to come. But Lyse lacked any specific information, unfortunately.

      "The powers will grow within you," Lyse told him. "Soon, it will stop responding to need and react to want. You'll be able to do all sorts of things perhaps. These gems are our only reliable ways of competing with the gods. Their borrowed power."