"He he he."
Wolfram fidgeted with the high collar of his robes. "Please don't glare at me like that."
River lowered his head at his friend, his blue eyes glinting as he smiled toothily. "Humor me. And please, do start from the top."
Wolfram shifted his weight from one foot to another and got engrossed in chipping at his nail paint.
They were inside their shared cabin on the ship—a small, sunny room on the deck with a picturesque view of the uneventful expanse of the azure ocean. Furnished with two comfortable beds and a mahogany table, the cozy room was a perfect blend of warm ambience with a touch of luxury. A maid had brought in new,dry clothes and food for them, making sure they settled in comfortably for the long journey.
Aithan had failed spectacularly to send River fitting clothes again. The black pair of loose pants hung dangerously low on River's hips, plotting a surprise decent to his ankles any minute. The white shirt, on the contrary, was way too short. River found himself torn between having to constantly pull his pants up and his shirt down to keep his dignity intact.
Wolfram was sent a set of soft pink robes, a color River had never seen him in before. River thought it was a rather fitting color palette for Wolfram as it gave him an adorable, youthful aura, unlike his usual cold, blue garments. He had not fallen victim to Aithan's fashion crime, as his robes somehow fitted him like a glove, better than his own custom-tailored robes.
Most of the injuries River acquired during the day were healed thanks to Wolfram, but he still had a muted ache in his fractured knee and a hazardous amount of questions to ask his friend.
"You are mad," Wolfram started, a shameful blush creeping back into his face. "which is understandable. But I never meant harm."
"You lied to me." River sighed.
"Yes, I had to." Wolfram brought his nails to his mouth, grazing dark blue nail paint with his front teeth. "Kai would have literally killed me if I returned to Wesown empty-handed."
"Why does Lord Schulz need these metal pieces?"
Wolfram shook his head solemnly. "He never told me."
"Six months ago, he sent a group of undercover intelligence agents to Saltstand and Capital Sangil to keep an eye on Alistair," Wolfram explained, his gaze still fixated on his nails. "I don't know for sure, but I think that God had promised him something in exchange for the treasure Alistair brought back from his voyage."
River felt the crease between his brows deepening. "Then?"
"There were originally two pieces of metal, but he couldn't find their whereabouts after they were pawned off at Saltstand."
River tapped a finger on his knee thoughtfully. Despite Kaizer's hawk-like watch, Wedigoes managed to snatch one of the pieces from under his nose. Then, what became of the second piece?
"Kaizer combed through all four nations looking for them, like a bloody hound, but the search turned up empty. He planted spies in every region and every castle and even deployed some of the beasts under his command."
"And? "
"Then we heard of the tax increase in the East. That, paired with the intel about unnatural deaths in Werth Citadel, gave us a vague idea that maybe Wendigoes were holding on to them. "
"Then you threatened them with war?" River inquired.
"Kai was hellbent on getting his hands on them." Wolfram hissed, his eyes going wide at the memory of his older brother. "Do you think anyone can gather enough wits to deny him anything when there's a giant, fire-spitting monster looming behind them?"
"Relatable!" River scoffed.
Wolfram gave him an apologetic smile. "So he sent me to bring the piece of metal to West."
"How were you planning to contain them?"" River questioned. "Another giant pool of molten gold?"
"That, I don't know. Kai isn't exactly the type to provide you with a battle brief before sending you off to a job. He just said, 'The metal must come to me, even if you don't,' and I didn't question him again."
"So what went wrong?" River asked.
"Ask who went wrong." Wolfram sighed and removed a chip of paint sticking to his tongue. "Solina, that is who."
"What do you think happened?"
"Gods !" Wolfram exclaimed, "East God definitely promised her something too."
"That doesn't make sense. Why not persuade Raek Wendigo in the first place?" River pondered.
"As smart as I am, I can't think like a god,"" Wolfram scoffed. "One must not doubt the decisions of gods. God makes no flaws."
"I still can't believe you left Lord Alistair by the pit to die." River pinched his nose bridge, vexed.
"Well, I had to make a very hard decision under a lot of pressure! It was you or him! I had to escape."
River glared at him, letting the silence stew.
"Ok, it was not that hard to decide," Wolfram admitted.
River's scowl only deepened.
"I forgot him."
"I knew it." River rolled his eyes. "And you blatantly lied to me about him going back to Sandgill with the metal!"
"If I told you the truth, would you have come with me willingly?" Wolfram pouted.
River sighed deeply. "What happened to the cursed metal piece, anyway?"
Wolfram shrugged. "You don't have it?"
River shook his head,deep in thought, "I don't know why gods would say I have it when I don't. I can't even remember what happened after I passed out."
River felt a chill down his spine. The mysterious disappearance of the cursed scrap metal was more disturbing than knowing it existed.
"I made Kai promise that he would not harm you to get it back." Wolfram picked at a hangnail on his thumb. "I can't believe he went back on his words."
Well, he is your brother, after all.
"He sent me away on a trip to the north,probably hoping to keep me away during the ritual. But I know my brother. He was up to no good."
Wolfram pulled on the thin layer of skin,ripping it off his finger. "I stalled the trip and hid in Whiowolf. That's when I heard about the parade."
"So you went back to Calamis?"
Wolfram nodded. "I had to make sure Einar was okay first. Because I know he would not let you go without putting up a fight."
River felt his heart getting heavy at the mention of his master. The man had rushed to help him, even though he could barely take care of himself.
"I hope he is okay," River said, worrying his bottom lip.
"Kai would die before letting anything happen to Einar. He would be okay," Wolfram consoled.
"What about Lord Schulz?"" River wandered. Despite the older man attempting to sacrifice him like a lamb, he couldn't get the image of him crawling on his hands out of his mind.
"He will not die." Wolfram swatted his hand breezily, dismissing the idea: "I doubt if there is a single bone in him that I have not fractured in our childhood."
Brother, don't sound so proud about it!
"What about my divine essence?" River inquired,narrowing his eyes at him.
"I'll give it back!" Wolfram held his arms up. "It should be technically impossible to take away one's essence, but you had so little! I only locked it away as a safety measure."
Wolfram leaned over and tapped River in the front with his palm. A bright golden light emanated from his chest, and River felt warm and fuzzy for a second.
"There ! All good!" Wolfram smiled.
River held a finger up, trying to channel the power of his essence. Although barely visible, a golden sheen of light enveloped his fingertip.
Well, that's as strong as it gets.
"So, you are a Verlice?" Wolfram asked, scrutinizing River's face. "They were hiding another child for this long?"
River sighed, not liking how the conversation was flowing downhill in the direction of his family issues. "That's not the problem here."
"I'm really sorry about everything, River." Wolfram lowered his gaze to his hands on his lap. "I just did what I had to do."
"I trusted you." River tried not to sound as disappointed as he felt. "I thought we were friends."
Wolfram's silver orbs widened as he snapped his head up to look at River. "We are."
River exhaled sharply, trying to get rid of the heaviness in his chest. "How can I trust you again, Wolfy?"
Wolfram chuckled, albeit grimly. "Not trusting me would be the wise decision, Riv."
Despite the bitter feeling of being lied to that still lingered in his heart, he didn't have it in him to hate the older boy. He had put his own life on the line to save River, after all,even going as far as to disobey his brother and gods.
"I'll explain everything to Seagull," Wolfram offered.
"Don't bother," River said, pouring his friend a cup of wine. "He has a point. I should have tried to reach out to him."
"Well, you were too busy marinating in a brine of bitterness." Wolfram rolled his eyes.
"I wonder whose fault that was."
Wolfram smiled bashfully and tipped the cup back, emptying its contents in one large gulp.
Author has something to say
We hit 1k folks !!
Thank you all for reading my story!!It means the world to me !
Author was way too busy watching Hazbin Hotel past two days . So here is an extra long chapter as compensation !!
Next chap will be out in few hours !
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Author loves you all!!!
Wolfram Schulz in his pink robes..except purple .