Chapter 8
The Winter
“That…that’s not possible, is it…?”
“There’s no way…”
“How…how is this a thing…?” Vivian was shaking her head, her blonde locks flapping back and forth while the utter denial of the boys next to them were drowned by the jubilation. Everyone was so happy, joined in the cheer at the arrival of the long-unseen commander. Meredith couldn’t let herself revel in that relief and joy. All she saw was the woman associated with the one that haunted her day in and day out.
The Winter.
Commander Cynthia Frigas.
One and the same.
The sight defied logic, and it was clear her friends thought much the same at this point with how they were furiously whispering, unable to be heard amidst the rising volume. Perhaps it was for the best; she didn’t know. But she could feel that cold stare, raking over them all. Like they were all beneath her.
“Mera…that’s her, isn’t it? It’s that woman from the ruins and Lacardia,” Eddie asked, his voice warbling while he shook her arm. Meredith didn’t know what to say, and couldn’t think of anything. Vivian was sharper.
“Of course, it’s her! You’d have to be blind to not see that.”
“The question is…how many actually know it?” Emil said. He was leaning on a mop, watching every action that Cynthia took, the older woman putting a smile on her face. It all read as fake to Meredith, but she tried to convince herself otherwise, her breath becoming uneven. Were her own biases creeping in? Was it just an illusion? Meredith needed to calm down, and she was aided by Eddie placing his hand on her arm. “Far as we know, we four were the only ones to encounter her in Lacardia…at least when it comes to the Corps. And there’s no guarantee she was acting of her own free will.”
“Are there mind control spells?” Eddie asked. Emil shrugged by way of answer.
“Then don’t say something so asinine.” Vivian whapped him with his own mop, but it was lost to anyone else.
Meredith watched them all, however, and could see the happiness the Guardians were exuding. It was a far cry from a few days ago, when they were all despondent and frightened. Morale boost, Meredith wasn’t sure, but she could tell the commander had a profound effect on everyone around her. So, the black-haired teen watched the commanders, parting through the crowd with grim grins. This reunion wasn’t a happy one.
“Maybe…maybe we have it wrong,” Meredith said. It was the only way she could rationalize it in her mind. Her eyes watched Cynthia, the woman she’d only known as The Winter, talking with Marcus. None of their words were audible, but she wasn’t sure if she would have understood it all anyway. “Maybe she’s a mole, or…or…”
“Or what, Mera?” Vivian asked. Emil yanked his mop away from her, floating it in midair, where it dripped to the floor. “I’ve always been one for seeing the Corps be proactive in things, but don’t you just think there are a lot of little details that wouldn’t line up? Like…oh, I don’t know…the fact she froze Lacardia and destroyed its defenses!”
“I didn’t say it was a well-thought theory, Viv. I’m just trying to work this out in my head!” The two girls got in each other’s face. The crowd around them began to shift and move out of the hangar. The reunion gathering was done, everyone going back to their duties, including a sighing Emil, but the two girls were in place, glaring the whole while until Eddie shoved himself between them.
“That’s enough!” Eddie pushed them away. “This isn’t something we should be arguing about. We all saw her. We know her. Whatever her role in all this is, what are we going to do about it?”
Meredith didn’t have an immediate answer. She didn’t have any at all, but she did look up just in time to see the commanders leaving the hangar. All the more potent was when Cynthia Frigas turned her head, their eyes locking. They both knew, and until the commanders departed, they didn’t break eye contact once. Once they were gone, Meredith let out a small breath and turned to the side to see Raymond, talking to Sal over by the Defender, moored for later usage.
“I might have an idea…Wait here.”
“For what?”
Meredith pressed on, stomping across the hangar to make her presence as known as possible to her conversing brother. The closer she got, the more their conversation was evident, but Raymond didn’t look pleased, even with the return of the commander. It was all too obvious how much he missed working with his squad.
“…worry, captain. We’re keeping the ship in tip-top shape. Em’s a good leader in your absence,” Sal assured him, though it did little to improve his dour countenance. “You’re supposed to be on leave, while we handle duties.”
“You’re not stretched thin?”
“Other than taking on some other duties thanks to squads being called away, we’re just fine. Speaking of duties, I think you have one to the lady behind you. How’s the prison, Meredith?” Sal’s hair bounced as she leaned against the ramp’s railing. Meredith waved, her sheepish expression rising when Raymond looked at her. “The boys tell me you’re working hard down there, considering they seem to be on the occasional night shift.”
“I…uh, I wouldn’t know. Viv and I pretty exclusively work the day shift,” Meredith admitted, rubbing the back of her head. Now that the pilot had mentioned it, Meredith did recall seeing the occasional Bruce and Trent near the cells below, but had passed it off. She further passed it off for the thing taking most prominence in her mind. “Ray, can I talk to you?”
“I guess.” He sounded as happy as he looked, which was not at all, but he gave Sal the courtesy of waving as he departed. The siblings walked away to a more secluded corner of the hangar, where their voice wouldn’t echo, and their conversation could go unnoticed. “What’s up, Mera?”
Now that Raymond was asking, Meredith wasn’t sure how to phrase it, and she bit her lip. “I’ve seen her before. Commander Frigas.”
“Well, she is one of the Big Three, Mera…”
“No, I mean, I’ve seen her personally. In Lacardia.” Raymond’s glasses clattered around on his face as he tilted his head. “Not just me, but Vivian, Emil and Eddie, too. She…she was the one who froze Lacardia. She cornered us, and tried to take the staff.”
Raymond held little reaction, but eventually took to chuckling, which turned into full-on guffawing. “Come on, sis. That’s not possible. A commander in the Order?”
“You think I’d make something like that up?” That mollified Raymond, his nose scrunching while he considered just what he was saying to his sister. “Is…I mean, what do you know about her? Can she really-”
“Stop right there.” His snap made Meredith take a step back, unfamiliar to the harshness of his body language. It reminded her of their trip back to Lacardia and how angry he was. “I don’t want to hear any doubt from you. To be a Guardian is to be loyal to one’s comrades. To trust them implicitly.”
“But Ray, haven’t you considered-”
“What have you considered, Mera?” he asked. His hands roughly grabbed her shoulders, shaking her as she firmed up. “Marcus trusts her. And we trust Marcus. We cannot doubt that for a second. We have enough doubt going around that we cannot start turning on each other. Perhaps she was in Lacardia, but if that was the case, then there was a good reason for it; one Marcus likely approved of. We have the Weapon here, anyway. Now back to your post, Childs. Not another word.”
He let her go and walked away, his back to her. She watched it go, her limbs sagging, but her fists clenching. Her brother’s words held merit, and she knew that, attempting to shake the doubt from her mind, but all she could see was his back, getting further and further away from her, just as always, leaving her alone.
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Raymond’s scolding stuck with Meredith through the rest of that day’s shift. Not even Vivian’s pestering about what he had said caused her to forget them, though both were trying to not address the elephant in the room that was Cynthia Frigas. All they knew was that they were one in the same, but so little else was confirmed that Meredith wanted to trust Raymond and likewise trust the commander. That became increasingly difficult when her worries prevented her from sleeping that night, and things were just as hectic the next day. Morale had been boosted a little, but it didn’t do much in helping both Meredith and Vivian do their duties, leading them to be utterly exhausted by the time they joined Conrad and Summer at lunch.
“You look like a racoon, Vivian. It’s a nice look,” Summer noted, snickering into her food. Conrad elbowed her, silencing the twin when the two girls said nothing upon sitting. Conrad propped his head on his hand and watched Meredith with intent.
“You look exhausted more like. Up partying without me? I hear some big Corps commander returned yesterday,” the Lacardian student said with a grin. Vivian groaned while Meredith poked at her food.
“Don’t remind us. It’s the only thing we’ve been thinking about. You two idiots wouldn’t know anything, would you?”
“We’re holed in the library almost all day now, Vivian. We wouldn’t know anything. What’s got you both so flustered about her anyway?” Conrad asked. He sat back, arms folded while he regarded Meredith. She didn’t even register him staring until he poked her between the eyes, and her glazed expression broke. “Hey, you okay, Mera?”
“Tired. And thinking.”
“Which is dangerous for her.”
“Shut it.” The girls aimed kicks at each other, but only managed to bruise their own shins. Meredith sighed, glancing around the cafeteria after her tussle. Trust…Loyalty…
“Seriously, what’s wrong? You know you can talk to us.” Meredith hummed, not sure what to say. “Is this about Lacardia? Felix called and spoke about the place freezing up, but he’s totally fine. Autumn, too.”
“Lacardia…” Meredith let her eyes wander, slipping to the television, playing some sort of entertainment show. Their carefree nonchalance brought back thoughts of Cynthia…or the Winter…Meredith wasn’t sure what to even call her. Maybe they had all just imagined it…or maybe the intent of her actions had been different. Raymond and all the others seemed to think so. It did give her a small idea, though. “Conrad…is there a way to tell intention through magic? I mean, my Soul Magic can let me, I guess…but I mean more after-the-fact.”
“That sounds like arcane stuff best suited to the headmistress or Mr. Matthew,” Summer shared, popping a grape in her mouth. “I’ve never really studied into all that.”
“No one has. I doubt even the headmistress knows,” Conrad said. He pushed his plate to the side, leaning across to Meredith. He looked like he wanted to take her hands, but she didn’t give him the opportunity. “That said, the only thing I can say is that it’s possible to discern magic, but not intent. Especially from someone who uses it. But that’s tricky at best. Even I would need a few pointers to see if someone was using my Copy Magic, for example. Usually stuff like what happens to a copy’s body. Melts, for the record. But yeah, it’s sketchy at best. That’s without factoring intent in.”
“Oh…thanks…” He hadn’t provided any help, but Meredith appreciated the sentiment as the clock chimed a new hour. Despite lunch being unfinished, she and Vivian departed, as much on their mind as when they’d arrived, something the discerning Eddie took notice of in their leaving.
“What was that question all about?”
“Just wondering if maybe we could figure Commander Frigas out from the magic she used. Just a silly thought, really.”
“I don’t see what there is to figure out…” Vivian’s abrasive comment was noted, but swept under the rug as they returned back to their usual duties in the prison. More Guardians came to visit than usual, the bolstering of the day prior turning all of them into go-getters that left the two interns scrambling around the dungeon to accommodate them all. The other Guardians on staff with them were less energetic, and the warden, himself, felt far too absent to be of any help.
By the time dinnertime was fast arriving, and Meredith’s final task of feeding Gaius and Caleb was upon her, the two girls were exhausted, right down to Vivian’s frazzled hair. For the first time all day, Meredith took humor and laughed at her friend, receiving a scowl for her efforts.
“Oh, come on, you have to see how hilarious you look. It’s like Emil with bedhead!”
“Hey, don’t compare me to that idiot! I take great offense!”
“You take offense when you roll out of bed the wrong way.” With clear intent of making their hair look the same, Vivian tried to grab for Meredith’s short locks, but was unsuccessful. Meredith fought her off by pressing a plate to her face and pushing away. “Cut it out, Viv. I have people to feed.”
“Eh, that fat slob could use a day or two off some food.”
“Now, young lady, is that the way for a Guardian to behave?”
The plate slipped from Meredith’s grasp, breaking upon the floor. Vivian whipped around, backing into Meredith. They got tangled for a moment, but came to stand side-by-side, instinctively saluting. It wasn’t out of respect, however, but from the newfound frost in the room, and the voice that commanded attention. “C-c-commander…”
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“Frigas…” Vivian finished under her breath.
The woman, tall in stature and striking in beauty, was before them, wearing a warm smile that betrayed nothing. Meredith couldn’t read a single thing there, and was too scared to go into Soul Vision and figure out what lay behind the smile. She had a feeling the woman would be too controlled to get anything out of anyway. It didn’t stop her from swallowing as Cynthia walked forward, observing both girls. “I was told by Marcus that you both were interns here, and thought I’d pay a visit. He’s spoken quite highly of you.”
“Um…er…” The girls couldn’t get a single intelligible sound out of their mouths with the woman staring them down. She chose to not wait on ceremony, taking the warden’s chair and placing herself upon it. Her boots took residence on his desk, making the plates jump.
“I see you take your duties as seriously as he does,” she remarked. Another flash of a smile went their way, just as hollow as the last to Meredith. All she could do was nod. “Well, I’ll try not to take too much of your time, then.”
With a flick of her finger, a wall of ice blocked off all but the black door leading to Gaius and Caleb. Meredith immediately knew the intention: this conversation was private. Meredith stopped her face from twitching or betraying any flashes of fear, and she measured her words. “What would an esteemed commander want with interns like us?”
“Let’s not lie to each other, Miss Childs. I know full well how familiar we are with one another,” Cynthia said. She lowered her glasses a bit, before deciding to do away with them and twirl them around her fingers. “You, as well, Miss Lacroix. Our encounter in Lacardia can’t have so easily been forgotten. You must have many questions, yes?”
Too many…Meredith thought. Vivian had the same thought. Neither uttered a thing. Not because they didn’t want to speak, but because of the hidden layer they both knew existed under Cynthia’s words. The layer that screamed, “I can see right through you, so don’t hide from me”. Meredith opened her mouth, brain wracking itself for an appropriate question, but Vivian beat her to the punch.
“Yeah. Who are you?! Commander Frigas or The Winter?”
“Both.” That was as expected. They waited for her to elaborate. “I am, and always have been, Commander Cynthia Frigas. However, I don the role of The Winter inside the Order. A rather good undercover identity, no?”
“I think you’re a little too good at it,” Meredith said, her tone becoming as cold as the woman across from her. To emphasize, she started preparing the plates to take in, but Cynthia’s gaze tried to hold her in place. “You froze Lacardia.”
“No one died.” Meredith’s fingers tightening on a plate spoke volumes to the commander about her opinion on that. “It was a necessary action in the course of duty. Though your presence there is the reason Marcus called me back in. At the time, for me, it was a mere sting to uncover the Order’s base of operations, but with you on the playing field, it was more important to drive you out and back to base.”
“You nearly froze us!” Vivian argued, slamming her hands on the table.
“Well, one doesn’t break cover, do they?” It was a persuasive argument, making Vivian bite her tongue and back down. “I need you girls to understand something, particularly with that clouded skepticism about me in your eyes.”
“And what’s that exactly?” Meredith asked. Cynthia swung her legs off, clapping the ground with her shoes. The air grew chillier, and Meredith sensed the goosebumps traveling down her arms. She didn’t give in when the commander stood before her.
“I play my role within the Order well. However, my loyalty is to, and remains with, Marcus. I am his commander, and I will ever and always act in service to him.” Her proclamation made her intentions clear, and while Meredith still held that healthy doubt towards her, she didn’t push it. If there was one thing she wasn’t lying about, it was the devotion she had towards Marcus. To that, they could relate. Seeing that, Cynthia drew back at the clopping of steps down the stairs leading to the prison. Multiple steps by the sound of it.
Vivian didn’t quite relent, with one more question. “I just want to ask…if you’ve been in the Order, how come it took so long for the Corps to make a move on them? How come they haven’t found the base?”
“Well, I can answer the first, but the second is Cynthia’s domain.” This time the salute came from respect. Somehow, Meredith wasn’t surprised to see Marcus in the cells, his arm draping itself around his commander. For the first time, she appeared to soften, and gingerly removed the limb. “Speaking of, I didn’t expect you to run off the second I mentioned Miss Childs and Miss Lacroix.”
“I thought it best I address the issue I knew was fermenting.”
“Mm, understandable,” Marcus agreed, nodding. “Well, in the spirit of clearing up issues, Miss Lacroix, when I assigned Cynthia to infiltrate the Order, they were still small-time. I wasn’t sure of any threat, but it would’ve been an issue if her identity was well-known, which is why she’s kept out of the media. She was also the most capable…Amelia would’ve fought them before finding any information…”
“She so loves to do that,” Cynthia agreed. Her tinkling laughter was off-putting with her usual frigid demeanor, and Meredith wasn’t sure it suited the woman. “That said, the Order is vaster than we imagined and I spent a long time trying to get on the inside. Breaking cover would’ve risked dismantling all of that when I was close to finding their main base location.”
“You’re saying there’s more than one location?”
“Well, don’t we have more than one?” Marcus proposed. In the silence that followed his questions, the other group of footsteps came closer, reminding Meredith of the task that she still needed to complete. “I assigned Raymond once they came out as a threat, but we’ve yet been successful. Cynthia was called back to pool information.”
“I don’t think I should be gone for long. They’ll suspect something…”
From behind the commanders, Meredith saw Jay, Bruce and Trent coming down the stairs, chatting with enthusiasm of some random adventure from the latter two. That sight indicated Meredith’s shift coming to an end and she scrambled to put the plates together for both Gaius and Caleb, rushing to open the door and finish her task. Vivian continued the thread of conversation while she did so. “Oh, well, if that’s the case, then I guess we worried for nothing…”
“No, worry is a good thing. It keeps us aware,” Marcus said. Like Raymond the few days before, he patted Vivian on the shoulder with fatherly kindness, though he looked up at the squeaking of the door that led inward. “However, we should always trust in our comrades. A welcome home is always…well…welcome, ha ha.”
“Why must you be so awkward, sir?” Cynthia said, now covering her mouth. Meredith let a smile slip on as she descended into the dark abyss, the conversation echoing further.
“Am I? What can I say? It’s been some time since we’ve had a conversation between the two of us. Though I didn’t expect it to be inside a prison block of all places!”
The random babble was joined by Jay expressing surprise at the chief commander’s presence, but Meredith continued on, sliding a plate to Caleb, and then making her way to Gaius. His hollow eyes were narrowed, looking sharper than they had most days, and he didn’t even touch the food when she put it in front of him. He did speak, though. “It seems you have uncommon guests.”
“I guess you could say that,” Meredith said, tucking hair behind her ear while she cleaned the lunch plate up. On her way back up, an idea came to her. “Tell me, Gaius…does the Order move its leadership around? Keep them in different places?”
“Who told you?” It was as good a confirmation as any, and Meredith chose to not answer. Gaius had nothing left to say either, at last digging into his food while they listened to the sounds from outside. Caleb didn’t move a muscle, or even make a sound.
“It must be quite the challenge for all of you to keep such high-profile targets contained,” Cynthia’s voice resonated. Gaius tilted his head, curious at the sound of his undercover comrade. He seemed confused, as if he hadn’t quite figured it out, but soon resumed eating.
“Not at all. They’ve gotten pretty chatty with Mera lately…though what they say is a bunch of waffle,” Vivian could be heard. Her dismissiveness translated into Marcus laughing heartily.
“Yes, we’ve been trying to get information out of them for well over a month, but they refuse to cough up any,” the chief commander spoke. “Jarvis, you’ve interrogated them before yourself, right?”
“Not recently, sir, despite my night duties, but I was here with Raymond, remember?”
“Ah, right. Well, I’m sure we’ll get something eventually. Only a matter of time.”
“If anyone can find them Marcus, it’s you,” Cynthia confirmed. “With how much you’re staring out at the ocean when we meet, it’s a wonder you haven’t spied them from a distance yet!”
“What can I say? I enjoy the sea. I do come from a fisherman’s village, after all.”
“You, too, Chief Commander?” Jay could be heard, his infectious enthusiasm bouncing around the walls. “I come from a fishing village in the north! Watching the sea is great on those lonely cold nights. Though nothing beats staring at the edge of the world.”
“I don’t like boats, or the ocean…”
“We were once on one…nearly sank…”
“You two are just weird,” Jay commented on Bruce and Trent. The clatter of Gaius’s plate peeled Meredith’s ear away from the intriguing, yet light, conversation, and she turned to pick it up. Gaius remained still, small twitches in his hand while he swallowed. “But whatever. Chief commander, you and I should totally swap fishing stories! Or sea watching stories!”
“Maybe we should, Jarvis. Nothing greater than talking about a fishing village working as one cohesive body,” Marcus said. His following laugh was so boisterous, it echoed off the back wall of the dim cell and sounded like a hundred Marcuses all in a great chorus.
“Is that where you got the idea for how you wanted to run the Corps, sir? Because our town was the same way!”
“Might’ve been, lieutenant. Might’ve been,” the chief commander said, evidently lost in a daydream. He cleared that away with a cough. “And speaking of running the Corps, Commander Frigas and I have duties to return to, as do you this evening. Lacroix, take care. Yourself as well, Childs!”
“Sir!” Meredith called, and she listened to the retreating footsteps. With them gone, and Vivian more likely than not becoming impatient at the end of the hall, Meredith completed her task of retrieving the plate and pulled away from the bars. A hand suddenly grasped her arm, weakly at first, before becoming resolute. Fear shot through Meredith, but when she turned to Gaius’s sunken eyes, they compelled her to stay.
“Girl, tomorrow morning…bring me one of your most trusted commanders.”
“Um…what?”
“Do it. I think you’ll find it most…rewarding. But I will only speak to one of them. No use in telling a mere intern. Understand?” Not wanting to spend another second having Gaius claw at her arm, she nodded, and pulled away from his grasp. Her steps took her far back from the man, her skin crawling. Glancing back in, she could see how dead-set Gaius’s eyes were, and a gleam inside them, shining with information. It creeped her out while she backed up. “Tomorrow…I’ll be waiting. Tomorrow…”
Nodding furiously to get him out of her head, Meredith restrained her steps, feeling both pairs of eyes on her as she blasted past the black door and kicked it shut, letting out a breath.
“You okay there, Mera?” Jay asked. He was right up against her, giving her a scare as she felt she could have jumped out of her skin. The lieutenant was watching her with pursed lips, like he was trying to figure out why she seemed spooked. Biting the inside of her cheek, Meredith nodded, noticing the ice wall Cynthia had erected was melted. “Well, all right, then. They say anything in there?”
“Uh…Gaius wants to speak with a commander tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, he speaks!” Jay said with a low chuckle. “I’ll pass the message on. You two get some rest, yeah.”
“Y-yeah…” Meredith said. She scrambled to put the plates away, and then hooked arms with Vivian to drag her as far away from the prison as possible. The blonde watched her, curiosity dwelling in her eyes, but Vivian refused to press the issue. She seemed to have gleaned enough from the conversation with Jay, one that set Meredith’s mind at ease and allowed her to push the Devourer from her mind.
Not that it was the only thing on her mind. Far from it. Cynthia’s conversation weighed most heavily, and was the definitive topic that Vivian wanted to discuss when they got back to their dorm, completely skipping dinner.
“You think she was telling the truth? Commander Frigas, I mean?” Meredith wasn’t sure, her mind a storm of conflicting emotions and worries while she flopped upon her bed, staring at the bunk above her. Raymond’s consternation, the Winter’s presence, and her own conflicting thoughts melded and mashed together, giving her a headache. When she turned over and spied the Earth-Splitter, she considered asking Terrill for how to sort her mind out, but he was still musing on the past. It didn’t help that Vivian was slapping her to get her to talk. “Well?”
“I don’t know, Viv…I just…don’t know,” she sighed. Vivian sat at the edge of her bed.
“Yeah, I get it…She’s an enigmatic woman,” the blonde said. She fell back, her body laying across Meredith’s legs. To that, Meredith kicked her legs, but Vivian refused to budge. “Marcus trusts her, though.”
“Guess we should, too, then.” A hum from Vivian communicated that she thought the same. “Well, I’m tired. We’ll share with Eddie tomorrow.”
“Sounds good to me.” Vivian still didn’t move an inch, but Meredith found herself not caring, soon slipping well off into dreamland.
To her gratitude, dreamland wasn’t as plagued with fright or worry. It was relatively easy sleeping, though her mind had lingered on Terrill. He was standing, but not alone. There was a woman at his side, with hair color similar to Vivian’s, standing on a hilltop. They held hands, and Meredith knew there were tears running down her cheeks, as though they had waited a long time to reunite, but never had a chance to be together. It was a sad memory, but a dream that helped Meredith understand her mentor just a little…if it was a memory at all.
She wasn’t sure what it was when she awoke to find Vivian snoozing on the ground, and her own hand on the Earth-Splitter.
Whatever the case, Terrill said nothing, so Meredith passed it off as being little more than her own contemplation about the Weapons taking form in a twisted sort of fiction. Instead of focusing on that, Meredith turned towards fact, and the duties that lay ahead of her and Vivian, and that which they wished to convey to Eddie. Unfortunately, he wasn’t at breakfast for whatever reason, which Vivian and Summer both appeared bummed out about, and Conrad couldn’t care less of.
“You know, Mera, it’s amazing how little the Corps knows about advanced magic,” the boy told her. She sent him a wan smile as reply, though he took it as an urge to continue. “Just saying. There’s a lot on basic elemental magic, but anything more modern and arcane is just sort of shoved in there. It takes an ass and half to reorganize stuff for better reading.”
“Ass and a half? I don’t want to imagine that, Conrad,” Meredith said, feeling like she was finding something truly funny for the first time in a while. “But are you saying there’s nothing on the Weapons in there? I mean, the Corps is on the race for them.”
“No idea. Could be. Could be lots of stuff in there. You could always come by and we could have a library date.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“Gross, Conrad.”
“I’m in agreement with the seasonal twin here.”
“You guys have no culture.”
“No, you just need a better pick-up technique. I’m not falling for you, Conrad.” Still, she thanked him for unintentionally cheering her up by pecking him on the cheek and winking at him. It wasn’t visible on his darker skin, but she knew how flushed he was. She withdrew, her breakfast finished, and began to leave the table with Vivian in tow.
“Yet, Mera. Yet. You won’t last forever against my charms.”
“You could work on a better set of charms…” Summer said in a deadpan. That led to an argument between the two exchanges, one that mattered little to the interns that descended back to the prison for another day at work.
Waiting for them there was the ever-striking Masters, complete with the fussy and agitated warden. At the end of the hall, coming off their nighttime shifts with a number of yawns were Bruce, Trent and Jay, nodding to the pair of girls. Masters caught sight and greeted them.
“I’m surprised to see you in here, Commander Masters,” Meredith said, saluting to both him and the warden before they could be chastised.
“Mm, it appears the Devourer has a special request to speak with one of us. Jay says you were the one to relay the message.” Meredith nodded, ignoring the jittering clinks of the warden failing to open the door for the day. Masters frowned at the balding man, and he got his act together to slide the key in and open the door to the abyss. “Well, let’s see what the man has to say.”
“Y-yes, sir.” The warden followed his agreement with a series of quick bows before he looked at Meredith, his teeth visible as he grinned. “Childs, how about you get his breakfast. I’m sure he’ll be much more pliable for the commander that way.”
“Of course, sir,” Meredith agreed, already used to her daily routine. The breakfast, itself, was already prepared, and in spite of yesterday’s occurrence, Meredith held little trepidation in following Masters through to the cells.
Like always, Caleb was chained up, but something felt suddenly different. He wasn’t quiet, but he wasn’t muttering unintelligibly like usual. Instead, it was a snicker, almost like a whisper of a maniacal laugh. He didn’t cease it when Meredith gave him his breakfast, and gave no indication for why he was doing so.
When Meredith and Masters stopped in front of Gaius’s cell, she knew he didn’t need to.
Her plate clattered, smashing on the ground, and Masters’ voice boomed out while she started to go into shock.
“Warden, get in here now! Lacroix, call Marcus here at once! The rest of you, stay put!”
His order set off a chain reaction of scuffled footsteps, sudden shouts, and the dam of Caleb’s voice breaking through. “AHAHAHAHAHAAAA!”
Inside the cell, flat on a pool of his own blood, was Gaius.
The Devourer had been murdered.