The handkerchief came back bloody after Lovell used it to wipe the chocolate syrup from his face. From his temple to cheek, the right side of his face shriveled in a fresh burn mark. He seethed and flung the soiled kerchief on top of Ravitavah's body. Silus roared on the inside, unable to escape the feeble borders of his venom-filled body to retaliate.
Kit froze, crouched on the edge of the coffee table, staring at Ravitavah. Like Silus, Kit must not know if Aces Under Creation could die. And, like Silus, she probably thought Ravitavah was about to pop up from his slump and save them from Lovell's wrath. He was an Ace, after all.
Then it struck Silus even harder: Kit didn't have a plan beyond saving his tail. When Lovell turned on her, she stood there. Helpless.
"The Collector wants you alive," the Terrorling fumed, stripped of his finesse after her insolence. He reached into his white suit jacket and pulled out his firearm, aiming at Kit, "he said nothing about your injuries. How many shots do you think you can take, pastry chef? I've got an idea. Let's count."
He cocked the hammer of the revolver and Kit dropped the flask. Her mouth parted for screams and words that no one could hear, but they pooled in the bedrock of Silus' heart and her fear filled him until it ached in his chest.
Remis' poison coursed through his body -he could still feel it- but stronger was the feeling of desperation to save Kit. Silus gritted his teeth and sucked up half the air in the room just to summon his Myus magic. He begged it to return. He pulled at the grip the Porcupine Demons kept on his arms, his heart lobbing inside his chest so loudly, he could be made of nothing else.
The white light prickled at his fingertips, barely an aura but still there. Silus swallowed hard and winced, struggling for enough power to do something.
At the same time Jude dropped to his knees, screaming, "Kit!", the bullet blasted from the barrel. It was only one second Silus looked away, but he was too late and the sound cracked through the room. He whipped his gaze up, heart in his head and his ears and his eyes and his clenched jaw and his emotion strangled throat.
In the middle of the room, Kit's body trembled and her hands pressed over her mouth and nose while tears streamed down her face. Her shoulders were pressing into her ears and her arms squeezed into her body so tightly, she might've tried to squeeze into nothingness. Far behind her, the wallpaper split open where the bullet burrowed into the wall. When Lovell missed on purpose.
The Terrorling cackled, preparing his next shot, "I've never preyed on someone who doesn't scream before. I think this will be kind of fun."
Silus squeezed his eyes shut and he strained. His snakes did their best to channel the magic. He even prayed to Myus, which was strange enough. If Victor could do it, then he must be able to do it. Silus should be able to do as much as his brother once had. He got all his magic after his death. There was no reason it shouldn't all be his to wield in this moment when he needed it most.
While he struggled against Remis and the other demon, his eyes flashed across the room -over Ravitavah's limp body on the coffee table, past Kit's quivering form- to where his first heart lay on the sofa. He always intended to put that thing back in his chest. He never let go of it -he had kept it alive with his longing.
It was keeping the rest of his magic from him. Silus couldn't be everything that he was if he held onto his first heart. It cost him part of his magic to hold onto that old dream. And he needed all of it to save Kit from Lovell's torture.
This heart -the one in his chest- wanted to save Kit. This heart wanted to protect her family from Lovell. This heart needed that magic back to do it. And for once, Silus chose the heart he had in his chest.
He looked at his first heart and told himself it was just a hunk of rock now. That wasn't his heart. His heart was summoning his magic back and getting stronger. Steadily, Silus felt his magic returning through the haze of the Porcupine Demon venom.
With a mighty push of mettle, Silus froze the guards and broke one himself free of their grip. He leapt and crashed into Lovell, pummeling him to the ground and lighting his hand with Myus magic as he gripped the gun.
Lovell snarled and thrashed under Silus' tackle until he caught the Idol off guard and pushed him into the carpet. The vipers wrapped around Silus' wrists and his legs. They didn't gnaw at him. They were holding him for Lovell.
The Terrorling gnashed his fangs at Silus. He raised his hands into the air and two objects came flying into his grip. A hammer and chisel.
"I borrowed these from Eltikan. I was sure he wouldn't mind me destroying a reject statue like you," he raised the chisel and with a sickening pleasure glowing in his eyes, he stuck the edge against Silus' cheek and swung the hammer.
Then crack.