“Explain to me again where you’re going?
“Out,” Rian folded a tunic in half before rolling it up, then picked it up and started for the living room, where his travel pack awaited.
“Not specific enough,” Darrogh followed after him.
“It’s classified, Darrogh,” Rian sighed, the lie coming easily. He loved his brother as he was, and Darrogh loved him. Just… an idea of him. The obsessive researcher.
“You woke up and said you wanted to kill the Tengu when you just said not a dozen hours that it was a bad idea.”
“People can changed their minds.”
“Not you, not like that.” Darrogh stepped in front of him in his flurry, grasping his shoulders. “Just, hold on a minute, would you?!”
“There’s no time to waste—“
“Is it another honeypot?” Grief filled Darrogh’s voice as Rian froze, a skittering chill running up his spine.
“What?”
“That’s the only reason why I could think of such an abrupt change. The elders are assigning you another honeypot mission if you don’t kill the Tengu.”
“It’s not—“
Darrogh’s grip on his shoulder tightened to painful levels. “Tell me. Just say the word and I’ll crush them all.”
“It’s not a fucking honeypot mission!” Rian smacked his hands off. “Mother below, Darrogh!”
“Then why—“
“Why do I have to tell you everything?” He asked crossly.
“Because I’m worried about you. You—“ Darrogh cut himself off with a sharp sigh, and Rian raised his eyebrows.
“I’m what?”
“You can do things I can’t—“
“I’m aware, that’s why it’s my job to kill people quietly—“
“—please stop saying that, but that being said—“
“We do this every damn time, just cut to the chase, you think I’m weak,” he hissed.
“I think you’re at disadvantage, especially within the Family.
“Seriously?” He blinked at his younger brother. “Within the Family? Darrogh, I’m the head of the damned Family, you put me here.”
Darrogh opened his mouth, but Rian cut through the air sharply with his hand. “Enough. You put me in charge for a multitude of reasons, one of them so I would stop having to take the unfavorable missions. I’ll be brutally honest with you, since you seem to be so begging for it. I didn’t hate those missions. I took responsibility because you were too young to be head of the Family, and if I’m not incorrect you still feel that you’re not ready for the responsibility of 112 people.”
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Darrogh’s silence was telling enough.
“So. As your head, I’m telling you. Leave it alone. I just want to do something that’s been a long time coming. It’s doubtful to even happen, this is just a preliminary recon and info collection mission. Keep up with your magging and I’ll leave Mary here with the explicit order to nag you for the entirety of when I’m gone.”
Darrogh paled and Rian’s lips twitched. Mary, though 12, could bully anyone into submission when she was annoyed enough.
“No need for that,” Darrogh coughed. Rian snorted, and Darrogh opened his mouth to speak again.
“No, I’m not telling you where I’m going,” Rian cut him off quickly. “I will tell you it shouldn’t be more than 2 weeks. You can keep the fortress from burning down for that long, can’t you?”
“…probably?” Darrogh glanced away sheepishly while Rian raised his eyebrows.
“Very comforting. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to bribe Aisling for medication so I don’t die on the road.”
Darrogh winced. “Don’t say that, please.”
Yes, it probably was in poor taste given the discussion. “You can ask for me inste—“
“Absolutely fucking not.”
----------------------------------------
After narrowly getting murdered by the crotchety old woman of an apothecary (“what do you think I’m made of, boy? Miracles? Money? What do you mean you’ll be gone for two weeks, that useless brother of yours will kill us all in the meantime—) and finished packing, Rian set out for the stables. Thankfully, today was warm and on the humid side. It would be awful to ride at any significant speed if there was the normal dry, crisp air of autumn.
“Hello, Merit.” He patted the horse he had raised on his own since she was a colt on her pink and gray nose.
The cool mist of Mary’s Magic crossed his senses suddenly, and he looked out from the stables to see the girl walking towards them with a travel satchel. His eyebrows rose.
“And just what do you think you’re doing?”
“Joining you.”
“No you’re not.”
“Yes I am.”
“I just had this conversation with Darrogh—“
“That was Darrogh—“
“—I am perfectly capable of going out of the compound on my own for two weeks—“
“That’s what that argument was about?” Mary looked truly puzzled. “You drown people with air without blinking, of course you’re fine.”
He faltered while she continued.
“I just wanted to join you because I haven’t seen you this flustered almost ever. No, actually, just never, there’s just been a few incidents where you’ve come close. What are you looking for? The Heartling Tree?”
“The T—“
“You’re not going to kill the Tengu.” Mary was matter-of-fact in this statement.
“Um. People. The Tengu included, I think.”
“The plot thickens.”
“It could be dangerous,” he started to shake his head, but she just rolled her eyes in that way only 12 year olds could.
“Oh no.” She deadpanned. “It’s not like I’ll be with a guy who’s called the Ghost by people who don’t know him. No, oh no.”
“What part of the Tengu included do you not understand?”
“I understand it fine; I understand I’ll get to see you flailing about him.” Excuse him, he does not flail. Mary continued, “Sounds like a win to me. Maybe I’ll get him to sit still for a decent sketch.”
“You will absolutely not be talking to the Tengu.”
“So just the flailing, got it.”
“I do not flail— why do I even entertain this talk?” He shook his head.
“I don’t know man, that’s on you.”
Mother and Father both save him from sassy tweenagers.
“If I tell you to do something, you listen. If I say run, you run. Do you understand?”
“Like I don’t do that anyways?”
“Mary.”
“Yes, yes, Uncle. Cross my heart and hope to die.”
“…fine. Get Cobalt.”
“Ha!” She gave a little fist pump of victory before running off to find her horse. Rian sighed. He was kind of hoping to keep her here to make sure Darrogh didn’t do something stupid.