xxxmany years after the disasters that weâve seen
xxxwhat have we learned?
xxxother than people burn in purifying flame
As Alex got back to his feet and finished gathering what they needed, Phoenix finished packing up the few bits he was to bring. He turned back around as Alex called him, raising an eyebrow, and expecting Alex to maybe say they were ready to go or to ask where Phoenix had put something when heâd been tidying up. But instead, his words just felt like a kick to the chest. Heâd kept telling himself that everything would work out, that it would be fine, that theyâd be fine, but Alexâs words were just an unpleasant reminder that Phoenix had no idea what the future held for him if this didnât work. Until then, it had seemed straight forward, and maybe naive. But him and Alex fitted so well together that it was hard to imagine anything other than Alex always being there. He hadnât said anything, because how could he? Theyâd only been properly dating for a relatively short period of time, and yet when Phoenix pictured his future now, Alex was always there. But Phoenix knew that if they couldnât fix this, then everything would just be wrong. Greythorne would be wrong.
Heâd been trying to keep it together all morning, but that was the point that his resolve shattered and he choked out a sob, instinctively pressing his hand to his mouth. âI donât-â he tried to say, but he choked on the words and tried to take a deep, shuddering breath. It just turned into another sob. âI donât know what- what Iâm supposed to do without you.â He choked out. There was so much he wanted, no, so much he needed to say, and he couldnât put any of it into words. âIâm sorry, I just- this has to work. I donât care what you have to do, but I need this to work,â he managed to get out, managing to calm his breathing a little. âI love you so much. I don't want to think about what happens if this doesn't work.â
His phone buzzed, and he wanted to ignore it, but he caught a glimpse of the screen. Zada needed him, and he tried to take another deep breath, this one a little more successful. âSounds like Triss has managed to burn herself on some silver. We should head back,â he said, wiping his face. âCan you grab the burn paste from the bathroom?â He didnât want to go back, but he didnât want to stay here either. He wanted to just go somewhere else entirely until all this was gone, somewhere he could pretend it wasnât happening. But that wasnât an option. He wasnât going to let Zada down like that. He sent her back a text.
To: Zada
Shouldnât be fatal, just a sore burn for a few days. Bringing something to help heal it up.
xxxweâre a train wreck waiting to happen
xxxone day the blood won't flow so gladly
xxxone day we'll all get still
âAnd as for your leg, I think you might be out of luck considering we just lost two of our best healers to the wilds of the Irish countryside. And I think thereâs only so much Phoenixâs tea can do for something like that,â she said lightly. âBut weâll figure it out. Weâll figure it all out.â She looked up as she heard two more people approaching, tensing up a little out of habit. But she heard familiar voices and relaxed as Evelyn and Rosie came back in. It suddenly hit her again that she was going to have to tell Travis about the trial. The joking banter between Travis and Evelyn didnât do much to help things.
She sighed as Travis asked her what was up, shooting Neden a glance. âI got a letter while you were gone. Youâve been called to stand trial for everything youâve done. And⊠Iâve been asked to preside over proceedings as the Councilâs representative, which means I canât directly help you.â
âWhat the fuck?â Evelyn said, folding her arms. âCan they do that? Given yourâŠâ she trailed off, but Rosie knew what she meant.
âThey can do whatever the hell they want. They, strictly speaking, run this place. Thereâs nothing stopping them. And if I fight it, Iâll make it worse. Itâs a public trial, so the whole town will be there to keep me accountable. Thereâs nothing I can do. So⊠Neden has agreed to help you figure it out, find something that might help.â
âYou can count me in too. You fucked up, hunter boy, but you donât deserve to be ki-â Evelyn cut herself off. âUhh⊠does he know about that part?â
âNo. But he should,â Rosie said, turning to look fully at Trav. âThatâs the other thing. The traditional punishment for a guilty party is ritualistic execution. Death. So if thereâs anything you can think of that could help your case, we need to know about it.â