Almagest City

Chapter 16: At the Door

With a wave of his hand, Ro disengages the locks to his hideout. Freen's here. Why? Ro can only guess. He stands and watches from the bottom of the stairs as the door opens, and Freen tucks his wings behind him, feathers folding up neatly into his cloak.

"Fancy... Seeing you here," Ro says.

"Ro," Freen greets, stepping down the stairs, stopping about a head or two over the necromancer when he doesn't step back. "I'm here... to make things right again."

"Right," Ro says. "What do you think is 'right'? Do you want... Revenge?"

"What makes you think I want revenge?"

Ro takes a few seconds to peer into Freen's eyes. He's holding his body stiffly, trying to appear composed. But that's not enough to trick Ro. Freen's eyes... They glance back and forth. They refuse to meet Ro's eyes. Of course, only Lady Ally has ever been able to meet his eyes, but this is different from the usual apprehension here.

"I may be strange... But I am not naive." Ro says, the volume of his raspy voice growing. "Lady Ally has abandoned me. She hoped that I will lose, or that I would destroy Almagest Investigations. Either way, she wins."

"Not anymore. I'm here to tie things up now."

"Like I said," Ro says, tilting his head and leaning towards Freen. "Either way, she wins."

"You're not making sense." Freen reaches behind him, slips a knife out of his belt, and darts forward, but before he can bury the blade in Ro's neck, he's stopped in his tracks. Ro's eyes flash green, and dark, necromantic magic surrounds Freen, stopping his movement.

"What happens here... If you succeed?" Ro questions as Freen strains his muscles against the magical hold. "I die, you clean up, and the investigators are... Stalled. Lady Ally wins."

"That's... The idea..." Freen says, pushing against the magic. Ro needs to make his point fast. As powerful as his magic is, Freen spends his days training against Alicia. He is not to be underestimated.

"And... If you lose?" Ro asks. "I kill you, and then what?"

"A-are you asking me?" Freen says, still straining against the magic.

Ro makes the shadows in the room grow, the flames flicker, and the light glow green and sickly. His normally cracked, stretched voice drops, filling the room. "Think!"

"I—" Freen stops struggling. "You can raise me, and use me against Almagest Investigations. And then... And then you have a higher chance of succeeding, with a version of me on your side."

"Then, Lady Ally wins."

"No... No. You'd just turn against her, then. She'd realize that."

Ro chuckles. "I could never beat Lady Ally, not even with you and Alicia on my side. No, I would be scattered to the wind before I could lift a finger. Either way, I am not getting out of this one."

"And you're not going to leave? Save yourself?"

Ro stares into Freen's eyes. "No. I would not lose them easily if they are indeed tracking me."

"Then what do you want? I'm not dead; you've had ample opportunity to kill me."

Ro smiles. Lady Ally had indeed betrayed him. He wasn't sure, but now he had no doubt. And what's more, Freen isn't entirely in agreement with her decision. No way he would have given in so easily otherwise. Nevertheless, Ro's conclusions were correct. No matter if Freen wins or loses, and no matter if Almagest Investigations wins or loses, all outcomes are in Lady Ally's favor. He had to propose something unlikely. Something Ally would not have prepared for. Or, at the very least, something that would cause her a great deal of trouble.