Hell Hath No Fury - Book One

Confrontation

Theo couldn't believe the words she was hearing. She needed to calm herself down so she could figure out how to deal with the situation in front of her. She could deny Ava's accusation but there was no use in that, Ava was smart. Ava looked like she knew she wasn't supposed to bring it up and Theo had a million thoughts running through her head but mainly, how the fuck did she find out. Theo locked the door and grabbed a dagger off the wall, walking towards Ava.

Ava looked like she wanted to melt into the floor, she took a step backward for every step Theo took forward. Theo wanted to know who gave her the information. Only three people had ever found out and one of them was dead. Xyra and Cooker were the only living people with knowledge of her inability to read Common. She had a hard time believing that either of them would betray her like that but nothing was impossible. She wouldn't have ever been able to predict Vivexa being a spy; some things just flew under her radar.

"Theo, I-" Ava struggled to come up with words. She was visibly nervous, eyes darting between the door and the dagger Theo was holding. Her hands were held up in defense, "Don't get mad, I have an explanation."

Theo almost felt bad for her but she couldn't waver. Ava had a piece of information that was critical to her reputation. It could never get out. She was already fighting an uphill battle being a woman in the trade she was in, no one could have any more ammunition on her. She needed to get to the bottom of it and shaking Ava down would be the best option.

"Please, by all means, explain away" Theo held her arms out expectantly and took a step closer to Ava, causing Ava to take a step back, "What was the plan, hm? Force my hand by threatening to expose my secret? Make me guarantee you a spot on the vanguard?"

"What?" Ava looked bewildered at the accusation. Theo had a hard time believing the reaction was genuine, "No, Theo. I-"

"Don't lie to me, Ava" Theo interrupted, the collected tone contrasting Ava's panicked one. Theo raised the dagger up at a threatening distance. Right now, she wasn't just Theo she was the captain of her ship and she needed to protect herself to protect others.

"I'm not!" Ava held out her hands, "Theo, I swear I'm not lying to you."

"Who told you?" Theo asked, dagger still up in the air.

"No one. I figured it out myself,"

"You think I'm stupid, Ava?"

"I just watched... Xyra does all of the reading when someone hands you documents and the only time you pick up something to read is when it's in Aelizan," Ava explained herself.

"Could be a personal preference," Theo pressed, not convinced. Ava seemed sure in her accusation and the evidence Ava presented was nowhere near foolproof, "I will ask one more time before I actually get angry, who the fuck told you?"

She spun the dagger in her hand menacingly.

"No one, Theo," Ava said again, stress evident in her voice. Theo knew the girl felt boxed in with nowhere to run but that was the only way Theo was going to get answers.

"Then. How. Do. You. Know?" Theo pressed, enunciating every word.

Theo could see the wheels turning in Ava's head, debating whether to say it or not.

"One night," Ava began, her throat moving through a nervous swallow, two giant guilty saucers for eyes, "I gave you something to read. I told you it was about waterfalls but the passage was about architecture...You pretended to read it and then told me you'd take me to a Nefritian waterfall..."

Theo remembered that. She distinctly remembered looking down at the book and counting the seconds in her head, waiting for an acceptable time to stop pretending to read it. Ava had asked her about the beautiful words used on the page to describe the waterfalls in Nefriti. Theo had gone along with it, spouting something about they were more beautiful than described. Theo had been played, expertly so. Almost as if the spirit of Viv had infused itself with Ava in Niveal and instigated a malicious plot to take her down.

Ava could sense the hurt in Theo's expression and spoke up again, "I was never trying to blackmail you... I just wanted to offer you a deal."

Theo schooled herself and her expression retook one of neutrality. Theo needed to shut Ava up and fulfilling her request was one way to go about it. She scoffed, trying to feign disinterest, "What would that be?"

"You train me so I can prepare for the vanguard test and I can teach you how to read," Ava offered and Theo narrowed her eyes and scoffed.

"You seriously thought that was going to work?" Theo snapped, "I'm still considering whether I'm going to throw you overboard or not."

She wasn't considering it. Damn her. She tried to be angrier but she couldn't muster it.

"I am really sorry, I grew up around politicians, this is the only way I've ever seen it done." Ava whispered and Theo huffed and looked away slightly shaking her head, "You're just so private and I wanted to know more and I found out more than I wanted to and I just saw it as an opportunity."

"You saw it as an opportunity," Theo repeated back to her in a deadpan voice.

"No. Fuck, I'm eating my words," Ava let out a frustrated sigh, "I was trying to offer you an equal exchange but I went about it the wrong way. I don't want a spot on the vanguard. I just want to be able to train for it so if I ever have the chance I can try to get on it. I just thought since I've been a tutor in the past and you have trained vanguard leaders before maybe we could have worked something out."

Theo kept herself from scoffing at the fact that Ava thought she could teach Theo how to read. Xyra and Cooker had tried, boy had they tried. It always ended in meltdowns and screaming, they hadn't even attempted to teach her since she was 11. Now that she was Captain and the others had important positions, they had too much on their plates to spend their free time teaching Theo Common. Theo weighed her options, she was in uncharted waters; this had never happened.

She could seek the advice of Xyra and Cooker but then she would have to admit she had been careless and that there was a potential threat of a leak if Ava were to open her mouth. They probably wouldn't be as easy on her as Theo was. A better option would be to keep it to herself and make it a nonissue. The only way to make it a nonissue was either killing Ava or taking her up on the deal. If Ava was offering to teach her to read and Theo actually learned, then the threat would be gone. Ava could tell the world that the great Captain Theo couldn't read and it would be a lie. Deep down Theo also knew there was another benefit involved, more time with Ava.

She was aware of the situation she was in. Theo had just found out that Ava had lied to her and now held her most closely guarded secret and yet she was excited at the prospect of more time with her. She should have been infuriated, she should have been considering silencing Ava, not giving in to her. Eternally fucked at romance is what Cooker had once said about Theo and she now believed it.

Theo flipped the dagger and put it away. She held out her hand towards Ava, "Not a fucking mention of this to anyone." Theo could see the smile threatening to break out on Ava's face. Ava reached her hand forward and took Theo's hand.

"Aye. Thank you, Theo," Ava said and shook Theo's hand a little harder than necessary.

Theo squeezed Ava's hand tightly and looked at the redhead seriously, "I mean it, Ava. You breathe a word to anyone about anything and I will have you killed."