Page 68 of A War of Embers

I hate that I can’t even argue with her in regards to ensuring every possible angle before committing to something heinous such as this without being in a direct duel or battle with someone, there’s never been a reason to take someone’s life unjustified.

“Hopefully this goes better than it did with Gabriel.”

Snorting in agreement, I shake my head. “A dragon turning down the chance at jewels is not something I expected.” The fact it could happen again with the witch is nerve wracking. What is it going to take to have someone who possesses the power to end my life be able to do so?

“Jared lives just over there.” Alyvia points towards a group of homes off to the side. They’re situated close together, sharing one large lot with stones out front creating a symbol I’ve never seen before. “Don’t step there.” She points towards the symbol. “It’s supposed to trap trespassers who get too close to the coven grounds.”

“Why not have it by the door where most people gravitate towards?” Seems like a ridiculous place to set a trap if it’s going to be obvious.

“You would be surprised how many people get closer to try to figure out what the symbol is,” a deep voice says from behind us.

Turning slowly, I raise an eyebrow at the man glaring at us. He has navy blue hair, white eyes, and a tall, lean body hidden behind black clothing. He practically screams guard from the city, except he’s not wearing a blue scarf. “And you would be?”

His white eyes cut towards Alyvia, his body relaxing as he realizes who she is. “What are you doing here? I didn’t think you came out during the Hazes.”

“Normally no,” Alyvia says, stepping around me and towards the man. “But we’re not here because of the Haze. We actually came to find you.”

Ah, so this is Jared. I don’t know what I was expecting him to look like, but this wasn’t it. I figured he would be well put together, similar in style to how Alyvia dresses. Yet his entire demeanor screams bad boy.

Reminding myself to stay silent, I cautiously watch their interaction. I don’t know him, therefore I don’t trust him. But I need something only he can potentially do, so outright getting involved could prove disastrous just like it did thirty minutes ago. Waiting for him to question my motives is tiring, though.

“Me?” Jared scoffs. “The only kind of people who seek me out–”

“Require payment to buy your silence and skillset,” Alyvia interjects. “I know. That’s why we’re here.”

Jared cuts his eyes to me. “On behalf of Lord Rowan? He sent a guard with you? What, he couldn’t march his kingly ass all the way over here to ask me whatever this is about himself?”

I take it back, I might actually like him.

“We’re in need of an unsavory favor,” Alyvia says, ignoring his dig at Rowan. “We need you to take out someone’s soul.”

“Your Lord can do that.”

“No he can’t,” she persists. “Besides, this has nothing to do with Lord Rowan.” Politely, she gestures towards me. “This is Keres. She came from across the sea in Tellus. She wanted to feel fulfilled in her life before passing. Now she’s found it, and she’s ready to move on. We need someone to remove her soul.”

We hadn’t discussed lying to get Jared to believe our sordid tale. Maybe lying was the better option, seeing how well Gabriel took the kill me plea we gave instead.

“She’s powerful,” Alyvia tacks on, trying to sell the lie with a bit of truth. “And we’re prepared to pay in jewels.”

“Show me them,” Jared says.

Lifting the bag out of my pocket, I pull the string to show him the jewels inside. When he makes a move for the bag, I quickly slip it back inside my pocket for safe keeping. “Kill me first, then Alyvia will pay you,” I announce.

Jared narrows his eyes at me, looking like he’s trying to see beneath the thick scarf around my face. “And what have you accomplished that you wish to die?”

Deciding to edge the truth with some lies, I tell him, “In Tellus I was a killer. An assassin, if you will, for the Lady I was controlled by. I escaped, wanting a better life for myself. I came here with the purpose of finding peace. Working with Lord Rowan’s army, learning about the comradery and friendships here helped me gain that feeling. And now I feel as though my time is up. I merely need assistance in passing over to the Cliff of Embers.”

Jared still seems skeptical. “If you have friends, then why are you wanting to die?”

“Have you ever had someone pass away that was close to you? It hurts. You grieve, but you move on, because you feel you have a purpose in your life that you have to get back to. I don’t feel that way. I feel like they gave me the greatest gift in accepting me, even if I came with a shortened time frame. I wanted to know what it felt like to be loved and have fulfillment. I found that here, but I don’t feel as though I’m gaining anything by staying,” I lie. Even to my own ears, it seems believable.

Long seconds trickle by as Jared’s eyes dance from Alyvia to me. Whatever he’s searching for, he doesn’t seem to find. The greatest notion to take away about lying is to always sell it with grains of truth sprinkled in.

I want to know what it feels like to be loved and have friendships with people who share commonalities with me. However, I long ago gave up on finding those people. It would only bring them into my darkness, something no one deserves. So I did my job, and I lived barely interacting with people as I could get. No one would be able to be used against me and I, in turn, kept innocents safe the only way I knew how.

“Alright,” Jared finally relents. “I’ll give it a shot. Alyvia warned you what would happen, right? I maintain your soul for about four hours after I take it out of your body. Effectively killing you. The soul dissipates out of my system after those four hours, laying to rest. You’ll potentially be caught in a limbo area. I’m unsure of how it all works because I don’t tend to give souls back to those I take them from. If Alyvia doesn’t give payment, I’ll throw this soul back in your body so fast you won’t be able to cross over. No one fucks me over, is that clear?”

“Crystal,” Alyvia nods eagerly. “Thank you, Jared.”

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