Page 43 of Fallen Angels

It’s my turn to shrug. “Why does it matter so much?”

“Because I would never request that you fight for someone or something you don’t believe in.”

“I’ve done worse,” I answer with a chuckle I don’t feel.

“I understand your concerns about the Midnight Queen, Revenant,” Pyre begins as he walks closer to me.

“Do you share my concerns?”

“Perhaps,” he answers as he turns his attention to Eilish. “But whether or not I share them is beside the point.”

I watch him studying her and I wonder at the thoughts in his head. “Then what is the point?”

“Morrigan can’t stay in Variant’s castle. In order to return the balance, she must be freed.”

“Then you support the rescue attempts?” I insist, frowning.

“I only support the understanding that the Midnight Queen must be separated from the false king. All the rest doesn’t matter.”

“Doesn’t matter?”

“Nothing matters to me unless it’s tied to returning the balance. I simply do what the Cosmos tells me to do and, in this case, it’s quite clear that Morrigan needs to be freed from Variant’s service.”

I nod. “Then I guess that’s my mission.”

“Your feelings for and about Morrigan are your own and I will not argue the merit within them,” Pyre continues, frowning as he faces me again. “All I will argue is the fact that Morrigan isn’t supposed to remain within the fortress.”

“And how do you know this?”

“A message from the Cosmos,” he answers with a simple nod.

“And when the Cosmos speak, we must answer,” I say.

“Yes, we must.”

“Well, thanks for this little pep-talk, Pyre. I can’t say it did much to renew my faith in this mission but that is what it is.”

“You are crucial to the operation, Revenant,” Pyre continues, clearly ignoring my facetious tone. “Without you, it will fail.”

“Then I have my role to play,” I respond. “So, tell me, what role does Eilish play?”

Pyre cocks his head to the side as he faces her again but then shakes his head as he faces me. “I don’t know.”

“But, undoubtedly she has one?”

“Undoubtedly.”

“Morrigan came to me in a vision and told me it was my duty to protect Eilish,” I admit. “She said that was the reason she brought me back from death.”

Pyre doesn’t appear to be surprised. Of course, I can’t imagine that anything surprises him anymore. “Do you believe it your duty?”

“I don’t know,” I respond. “I know I enjoy fucking her and drinking her.”

“Ah,” he says and nods. “You’ve detected my interest.”

“You don’t strike me as the territorial type, such that Dragan is,” I respond.

He nods. “I am not and I’ve also taken an oath that ensures my celibacy.”

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