After the Walls

Chapter 16

Ajax rolls his eyes. "Of course. Yes, I'll try to convince as many Concaves as possible."

"I should help," I say, smacking my empty mug down to snap their attention. "Many of the Convex will listen to me."

Edward shifts in his seat, drumming his fingers on the table. "But you're supposed to stay with me. That was the deal."

"Do you not trust me? I'm not going to breach our deal."

He chews his lip and shoots a glare at Ruben. "It would be the perfect time for you to plot my demise."

I roll my eyes and let out a groan, rubbing my temples. "Then come with us, if you have so much distrust in me. You can watch as I speak to them." 

He hangs his head, smacking his lips. "No. You're right. I should trust you and I'll be more useful with Ajax in the Concave Sector." He drains his tea. "Just meet me in the palace by nightfall. You have two days to collect as many Convex as possible. Then we will begin training, regardless of how many recruits we gathered."

I nod. "We will call a meeting at the town's square in the Convex Sector today."

"May I have another tea, Aston?" Edward says.

Aston nods and pours him another cup. Edward pulls out his shadowteeth blood and watches it drip into his tea. "Do any of you think there are side effects to the blood? Like the man out there seemed to think of?"

Ajax schools his face into neutrality. "I think it's worth looking into. You don't want to drink something that could be too good to be true. Besides, don't you want to be in peak health for the arrival of the Red Movement?"

I silently curse myself for not bringing the Devil's Ivy, wishing I could pin Edward down and shove the leaves down his throat. But I nod along. "We could research it?" I say, earning a glare from Aston and Ruben. "Maybe there's... a reason the man thinks it's poison."

He nods, eyes softening as he looks at me. "Thanks, Elle. That's a good idea. Maybe tomorrow evening in the library once we have finished our current task."

Then he stands, gulps down the tea anyway, and walks to the exit. "Thanks, everyone. And thank you for the hospitality, Aston."

He steps out of the house, letting the door fall shut behind him. Aston stares out the window, waiting for him to disappear into the distance, and into the parked carriage.

His hazel eyes flash with empathy. "Is it bad I feel guilty for lying to him?"

"No. I do as well," Ajax says with a sigh. "He's clearly not wanting any side effects, though. Elle, is there any possibility you could convince him to take the Devil's Ivy?"

I press my lips together. Aston mirrors me. As if we both don't have high hopes for the matter. "The problem is, he wants the insurance of immortality. He's afraid we will betray him and try to kill him." Then I pull the drawings Ruben and I found in his Red Movement office, unfold them, and spread them onto the table. "I also think he wants to extend his life... to extend his chances of finding a family. He doesn't want to die having not found a family."

Silence washes over the room. 

"Having lost my family," Aston says. "I understand how lonely this world can be. If it weren't for Elle finding me and befriending me all those years ago... I am afraid to imagine where I might be."

"I don't think we can trick him into taking the Devil's Ivy," Ruben finally speaks up after many minutes just listening and brooding. "He is like my father in the sense that he is extremely clever, and I suspect, always one step ahead."

"Then we must convince him to take it," Ajax says, letting out a groan and putting his head in his hands. "The former plan was so much easier and didn't involve getting my feelings hurt. I can't get attached to anyone."

"What do you mean?" I ask, wiggling my brows. "You aren't in love with him, are you?"

Ajax shoots me a look. "No, Elle." He tuts. "I mean, we must convince Edward that his normal life without magic is enough. We must help him not feel so alone. As in, we must be his family."

Aston sits down and the table rattles. "But as Ruben said, he is too smart. We can't betray him by pretending to care for him."

"Exactly," Ajax says. "We must get to know him. We must genuinely all form a connection with him. Convince him he is not alone."

Ruben curses, pushing his chair back. "Don't say it, Ajax." He paces the small space between the table and the kitchen stove. "Don't you dare say it."

Ajax cringes and his face and neck burn red. "I'm sorry, Ruben. But you are going to have to form a brother's bond with Edward."

Ruben glances at Aston and clasps his hands in front of him. "My friend, I think it's time. Let's run away into the wilderness as we talked about."

Aston's lips tug with amusement. "Sorry, Ruben. I want to see this happen. I need some entertainment anyway. Let's invite the man for a drink at our favourite pub."

Ruben groans again and cracks a joke. But I don't hear it. Their laughter fades into the background as a chilly, yet ethereal sound floats into my eardrums, seeming to come from thin air and the distant nothingness far, far beyond the walls.

The singing of sirens.