Ruin Maketh Me

69 - Stand and deliver

Leonard leads me through the cold corridors devoid of the faintest glimmer of sun, and for a split second, it's as if I'm back to the very beginning. The dark wood, the flaming red of the back of Leonard's head, the thud of feet against wood, everything seems the same, so exact that a dreary sense of nostalgia chokes my breath. But now at least, for better or for worse, I have somethings to hold onto.
     My lips twitch upwards into something like a smile. I had fought so hard to leave that place, and yet now that I am truly out of Island, I'm still lost and there's no relief anywhere. I'm not free, I'm further away from freedom than I ever was when I first awoke here.
     I follow the red swinging right, left, right, left in front of me, and a subtle shift bites up my throat bitterly. I didn't want to leave like that. Yes, I had wanted some miraculous solution that would let me walk away with Ralphus and perhaps even... Sol. And now, funnily enough, I wouldn't hesitate to go back to that soul-drawing in Academy. But to what end? To wait for some ridiculous chance gifted to me by the heavens? To depend on that so-called fate, Sol so reverently believed in?
     The glare of the dying sun dazzles my eyes, but I force my vision to plunge through the spots of black and white. The broken view of the sun-drenched outside expands before me, and in the deserted space, the only sound that crosses my ears is the sharp whistle of wind.
     Leonard's feet half-turn, darkness shifting over his defined features in such a way that the brief glance he fires at me is almost melancholy in nature. It's so deceivingly like the first, I almost expect Julius's carriage to be waiting for me on the road. But he smiles, the sharp light distorts again, and it's gone, leaving only the impish sly look unique to foxes. He extends a clawed hand towards the dust laden road and against the softening glare and swirling dust, is a familiar shape parked on the road.
     My heart misses a beat, and a true waver of confusion muddles the clear strands of thought. Although it's sleek and futuristically peculiar in shape, there's no doubt about it, the thing's that parked on the road is a car. A goddamn, fucking, champagne coloured car.
     I squint and look over the shape again more carefully, but still, there's no mistake about it, the vehicle's definitely a car. A very nice, expensive car that would make designers coo in delight. My vision blurs and the whole world seems to shake in response. What the fuck is a car doing in a medieval world of magic?
     "I admit it's a rather old model, but it's really classy isn't it?" Leonard says with a tang of pride, stroking his pointed chin.
     "Classy..." I repeat numbly, stumbling down towards the shining automobile, "Yeah, very stylish."
     Fragments of what I've seen in this world flash before my eyes. This entire time, this entire time, I've been on the Island with its archaic stone architecture and sullen air, but there had always been clues hadn't there? I just never really took any notice, I was so confident I knew what this whole world was. The glass doors of the dormitory, the recognisable suit-like design of the Academy uniform, Set's sense of fashion, the high-tech design of Sol's kitchen appliances, everything pointed at something more than something stuck in the past. I had been misled this whole time.
     This whole damn time, I was wrong.
     "What, are you feeling unwell?"
     "I'm fine." I breath, "Absolutely dandy."
     Leonard raises a brow but says nothing, only clicks his fingers together with a loud snap. At the clear sound, the car doors swing upwards smoothly, and taking my arm firmly in his hand, Leonard pulls me onto the plush leather seats behind him.
     The interior, like the exterior, resembles that of a high class car. There are two rows of plush leather seats facing each other with a small rectangular table in the centre. The driver's compartment is shielded with dark glass, and the windows embedded within the doors too act as an one-way mirror.
     A sourness runs up my nose to the corners of my eyes at the heartening smell of car leather, and if I just close my eyes, it's as if I'm back on Earth. This smell... it's almost like Jacques's car with it's slight hint of tobacco and wood-toned cologne. But. But this is all false, on Earth, I'm long dead and buried. My eyes flicker open, and the illusion is broken into shards of forged dreams.
     "Howdy!" Eye-catching blue hair spikes into view.
     I turn to Leonard, and he gives me a careless shrug, "Your fellow comrade in captivity."
     Turning back to the infuriating cheerful grin, I narrow my eyes, "What are you doing here?"
     Hoplin tilts their head crane-like, and their painted smile cracks even wider, "It's just as Leonard told you, I got caught and sold. I may as well ask you the same thing, what are you doing here?"
     "Don't give me that bullshit, I don't believe it for a second."
     They cock their leg and fold their hands together in a dainty manner, "Unfortunately it's true, I was a bit careless you see."
     I shift towards Leonard in my seat and fire the Fox a pointed look, "Are you telling me that Academy administrators that excel in selling information get captured too?"
     A jolt runs through Leonard's amber eyes, and his brows squeeze downwards involuntarily. He runs his gaze up and down Hoplin's slender figure, and the corner of his mouth tenses faintly, but he quickly regains his composure and the tension fades from his features artfully, "There's been quite a demand for fish Beastian," he splays his hands in a gesture of surrender, "I'm just in charge of selling."
     Hoplin leans forwards, "So, what's up with you? Romance gone bad with Ralphus?"
     A shot of flames lick up my face, and my eyes narrow further, "How much are you willing to pay for this information?"
     "Tch," They turn to the passing scene of darkening fields and trees, "You're no fun anymore Cynder."
     I fold my arms and turn away from Hoplin as well. There's no chance at all of Hoplin being captured 'accidentally', it's all on purpose. But for what reason? Or to be more exact, for what information? They'd been selling information to Declan, and previously, before they disappeared, they'd been investigating 'me'. Did they dig up anything worthwhile?
"Where're we heading?"
Leonard taps his foot against the carpeted floor, "The Lustania Plains, northern border."
"Shooting two birds with one stone." Hoplin says, singsong.
His jaw tightens, and he stares ahead at the dark glass of the driver's compartment.
"Don't tell me we're heading over to Elven territory by car." Hoplin says with a frown, "It's going to take an actual eon."
The Fox starts frowning too, "Yes we are and no, it's not going to take an eon." He shoots me a glare of warning, "And don't even think of running, I've put tracking spells on both of you. I'm not a very nice person when I'm angry."
"Yeah, yeah," Hoplin mumbles, pressing their nose to the window, "I guess you can't use the portal arrays considering how strict border control's become, but you know, you're running a risky business even going by car."
I grab onto the main point, "Risky business?"
Hoplin fires me a meaningful smile, "You really did live in mountains before didn't you? Trading slaves is illegal in the Empire. Our friend Leonard's running a tight shift."
The expression on Leornard's face becomes even more sour, "Shut up."
Hoplin gives us a wink before turning back to the flying scenery.
"Who are you going to sell Hoplin to?" I direct at Leonard.
He stays silent for a moment, a flash of quicksilver passing through the depths of his eyes, "The Voights."
The name resonates familiarly within my mind. Where had I heard the name before? Voight... Yes, the Board members mentioned the name briefly at my interrogation.
"A powerful family of magicians?"
"Yes." Leonard's tail thumps against the seat, "As luck would have it, they're also at the Northern border mending the magic warp." At this, he looks at me with an unknown meaning again.
I nod and shift away from his uncomfortable gaze.
"Pffft." A light laugh rocks the air from Hoplin's seat, "It's a miracle the Voights are willing to mend the magic warp for the elves."
A sigh tumble out of Leonard's mouth, "Yeah well, they can't exactly carry their Cold War on forever."
Hoplin shakes their head, "No, considering how the Voights lost their heir to the Salabens ten years ago, I thought they'd never make up."
I flit between Hoplin and Leonard, their words stirring a storm of unfounded doubt within my mind. Ten years, Salaben, Voights, love and this body, again, there's only a tangled pile of truths and untruths that seem to make both sense and nonsense.
Amber eyes slink back to me with a strange half-light, "Even the Voights have to conform to the Pact."
"The Pact?" Hoplin laughs in cold irony, "The Empire would take any reason to invade Mal this very moment, that can't exactly be peace. Uhyls knows how much everyone hates that Otherworlder."
My limbs tense, "Why would they hate the Otherworlder?"
"Why wouldn't they hate the Otherworlder? Followers of Merlow are generally more lenient towards it, they're worshippers of the Soul, but Uhyls, hah, the mere existence of Otherworlders don't match their teachings."
"The Order of Light's teachings." Leonard adds sharply.
Hoplin shrugs, "They're all the same, really. The Order of Light's spread everywhere."
I rub my temples and try to work through the mass of information, "I thought Uhyls and Merlow were sibling Gods."
"They are," Leonard says adamantly, "it's just that their teaching's been warped by exterior forces."
"Like the Order of Light." Hoplin says with a murderous sneer.
I glance towards the Fox for a clearer explanation.
His lips curve downwards in disdain, "The Order of Light's full of racist bastards."
Nodding, I go through the everything Sol's told me about religion in this world, "Aren't Otherworlder exorcised by Liliths?"
"Yeah."
My brows scrunch together, "But Liliths are messengers of Merlow, not Uhyls, they should be more lenient towards Otherworlders, should they not?"
Leonard ruffles the wayward strands of red hair kissing his forehead, "It's all religious politics. Merlow's the God of Death, so only messengers of Merlow can discern the nature of one's soul. But followers of Uhyls greatly outweigh the followers of Merlow and well, the majority of inhabitants of this world including followers of Merlow hate Otherworlders. So it's just become general practice for Liliths to exorcise Otherworlders in the witness of Uhyls."
A trickle of cold sweat runs down the back of my neck. How many Liliths are there on this world again? Four including Sol... but considering that even Leonard managed to work out my identity, I'll probably get busted if Salaben bought me. A heaviness crushes my chest, and the Pit expands its shadowy grasp.
"Are you trying to fucking get me killed?" I murmur under my breath towards Leonard.
The light gleam of his iris darkens, and his fingers tighten against the soft leather. He opens his mouth with a defiant hurriedness, but before anything manages to come out, the car comes to a jolting, screeching halt.
I'm thrown forwards mercilessly, and the whole vehicle seems to spin dizzily. Fighting against the nausea crawling through my stomach, I push up from the floor, "What the—
"STAND AND DELIVER!" A raucous shout rings from outside the car.
Leonard's features twist into a mask of cold ruthlessness and absolute wrath.
"Don't they know this is your territory?" Hoplin asks breathlessly, staring out the window.
Leonard makes no answer, only takes out a long, black box from a space within the air. Clicking open the gleaming lid, he takes out a dark weapon that looks suspiciously like an assault rifle.
"Do as they say," He orders as cool as gun metal and without casting us a last glance, opens the car doors and leaps out without an inch of hesitation.
I step out slowly after him.
On the long, deserted road, a crowd of men wearing all black surround our car and a carriage stopped before us. A girl with long, white hair leans against the carriage door and looks back at us with a faint smile.
"Boss, the girl refuses to take out her possessions." One of the men shouts towards this side.
"No matter," One particular man steps out towards us, "Courtis, come over here first, this lot loo—
Hot blood spatters over my face, and he crumples to the ground.

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AN: Stand and deliver is a phrase used by Highway men that basically means 'hand over your stuff''. So sorry for the late update, was too absorbed reading Chinese BL novels haha.