“Good evening to you too,” Venali replied, rolling his eyes, “Yes Raine, you’re welcome for getting you out of your cell for a while, no problem. Sit. Then I’ll tell you what you want to know.” The half-fae scooted over slightly, leaving her plenty of room to sit down and lean against the tree, “You don’t even have to act like you enjoy my company.”
He paused, watching her with a look that said he expected her to do what he said. As soon as she sat down though, he started to tell her what she wanted. Like promised. “Scythe, as you know him, is a high rank Fae in my uncle’s military. That’s not his real name though. Yes he’s around the palace at the moment, he is so often, and yes, he will be at the trials. Probably sitting with my uncle and me.”
Serena wanted to throttle him for the way he talked to her, but instead, she took a breath to calm herself down. She didn’t want to do what he told her to do, but she needed to hear about Scyth, and so she did. But she made sure there was still space between them when she sat down.
“… sitting with uncle and me.”
Serena fisted her hands. That meant she’d missed him at the first trial. She could have had him if she’d dealt with the monster efficiently without harming herself.
“I give zero fucks about what his name is,” she snapped, her mind whirling. That fae would be the first to go, she swore to herself. When she’d get her hands around his neck… she’d kill him the same way he killed her family. She’d make him remember and feel the pain he subjected them to. “He’s dead when I get my hands on him, and that’s all I care about.”
Venali couldn't help but just shake his head, glancing over at her with a raised eyebrow, "You do realize, to take down a fae, who has spent his entire life killing humans, you're going to need a plan? Maybe some help? Anything other than just hope that he'll stand still while you kill him?" He shrugged, straightening his jacket as he continued, "Now, I'm not going to stop you, he's a bastard that deserves every ounce of pain that you can give him. Be my absolute guest to kill him. But please, maybe ask for help from someone who has spend decades dealing with his bullshit, or at least tell me when you plan on killing him, so I can plan my funeral ahead of time?"
It was true, the Fae that Raine called Scythe was one Fae Venali hated the most, besides maybe his uncle; and said Fae never felt an ounce of regret whenever he ended a human life. He went out of his way to do so even when he was just a recruit, and having power had just made it worse. So it was true, Raine could do whatever he wanted to the Fae, and Venali would just pretend not to see it. If she asked, he would maybe even help get Scythe alone and weak enough that she could take over.
Serena shot Venali a hateful glare, her eyes burning. She’d spent years planning that Fae’s murder, and she was not about to let him take her kill from her. So baring her teeth, Serena slowly stood up.
“He’s my kill, and I don’t need your help,” she hissed. She knew it was irrational. She knew it was dangerous. But she’d lived in this hatred for so long that it was hard for her to realize she might just end up dooming herself. “I can take him out just fine, with or without your help.”
"Fine, just tell me when you're ready to face death in the eye. And don't forget to tell your brother you love him. Your hatred is going to get him killed too," Venali replied, his face blank but his eyes filled with both annoyance and frustration, "You forget that the three of us are linked by this damn deal you made, and if you die, or if I do, then your brother does too, and his death will be drawn out and painful. Eldon was clear about that." He stood as he talked, straightening his jacket as well and looking down at her before motioning back to the castle, "Ready to go back to your cell? I sense that this conversation is over."
It infuriated him to see how stupid and careless she was being. Not only was she throwing her life away, and his own; her brother was going to be killed too. Just because she wasn't able to hold in her hatred or even get help. He wanted to kill particular Fae as well, but unlike this human girl, he realized that bidding his time for the right moment was going to prove better in the long run.
Serena flinched as the truth in his words struck hard. Alec. If she failed, he would get the worst brunt of it. That coward of a king would kill him in the worst way possible, and… and she wouldn’t be able to protect him. She’d have failed him.
But it was also for Alec’s sake that she was striving to kill Scythe. With him gone, the two of them would live the rest of their lives knowing the murderer of their family was no longer breathing. So her eyes hardened and she clenched her fists.
“Well then, I’ll have to make sure it doesn’t come to that,” she said quietly, shaking her head and looking back at the palace. “And that Alec is safe and sound. I will kill Scythe, even if it kills me in the process.”
"How will you protect him? Hm? You won't even be around to do so. Scythe will murder you, I would be dead and your brother will be down a sister and a Fae who would help him stay out of Eldon's grasp," He replied, his tone holding nothing more than a bored and annoyed tone until he realized that she had said a different name than the one he knew her brother by. Venali shook his head when he realized her mistake, stepped in front of her before she could leave and whispered, "Better not let any more names slip, Raine. Especially of the people you care about around any Fae that isn't bound to you."
Serena opened her mouth to argue, to tell him that she could handle Scythe and that no one else would die, but then he whispered in her ear and she froze.
Alec. Shit, how could she have been so stupid to let his name slip? Venali was bound to her, but not to Alec, and—
“You try and use him in any way and I’ll make you fucking regret it,” she snarled, shoving him against the tree. “If anything happens to him because of you, I will gut you like a fish. I don’t care what happens to me because of it.”
"I have no plans on using your brother to do anything, calm down." Venali didn't fight when she shoved him against the tree, but his words held a slight growl of annoyance, "He's not involved with what I have going on, and if you keep your mouth shut about his alias, then he'll stay out of harms way."
It wasn't her shove that annoyed him, more it was her threats of his death. She was linked to him. If she tried anything to harm him and he died, so would she. And as much as she didn't seem to care, he had a feeling that she would care if it meant Alec's death.
It took him only a little effort to push against her and step away from the tree, grabbing her shoulder so she didn't fall or stumble from the sudden movement, "Now, before you make any more threats to any Fae that you can't go through with, I suggest you ask any final questions so we can get you back to your cell and I can be back here to watch the sunset."
She knew Venali could be trusted—more than any other Fae in existence, but that meant nothing. Not when…
“If your life wasn’t linked to mine, I highly doubt he’d wouldn’t have been a pawn for your sick entertainment,” Serena spat, slapping his from her shoulder, his touch burning. She stepped away to create space between them, trying not to think of things she shouldn’t. “No matter what games you play, Half-Breed, you’re just like the rest of them to me.”
Why had she called him that? She didn’t really know, but she tried to tell herself she couldn’t let herself get attached to him. Out of the question.
“Take me back,” she said quietly. “I have nothing more to ask.”
"I would not-," He started, the growl still audible in his voice even as he stopped himself and let out a frustrated breath instead. In less than five minutes, this human girl had gotten under his skin faster than any Fae had been able to in centuries. At the same time that he was close to loosing his temper with her, he was also impressed with the skill, not caring if it was accidental or intentional.
Venali jabbed a finger towards the palace, then did his best to keep his next words neutral, if just calmer than before. "Get going. And I'm not going to train with you tomorrow, not if you're still planning a death sentence."
He waited with an annoyed expression for her to start moving, following a half step behind her even if he didn't want to. If he had his way, he would just force her to sit and watch the sunset with him, so he didn't have to miss any of it. But instead he was babysitting a frustratingly headstrong human girl that had no regard for her life, no matter how much her brother would loose if she died.
“We can stay,” the words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop herself. She found herself meaning the words, but she tried to make herself believe she wanted to stay for her own reasons. “Until the sunset.”
Before he could say anything, she turned around and scowled at him. “I haven’t seen a sunset in weeks. Or a sunrise. I’d like to watch it before I’m back in that dark cell.”
It wasn’t a lie that she regretted calling him a half-breed. Maybe—maybe they could tolerate each other, up until she could get Alec out. He was right; she couldn’t take on Scythe on her own. He’d kill her easily. But she didn’t want to admit that; her pride wouldn’t let her.
Neither did her rules.
Venali paused when she suggested the two of them staying for the sunset, and it was difficult to hide the immediate yes he wanted to say in response. "Fine, we can stay, as long as you're going to behave." He raised an eyebrow in question, glancing out at the quickly setting sun before pointing back to the tree he had been sitting under, "We're sitting over there as well, that's not up for debate."
It was strange to go from fighting to agreeing to watch the sunset in less than a few minutes, and even more strange that he was going to be sitting under his parents tree with someone, even if that someone was a human that seemed to loath him for some reason and that he hated almost as much.
At least that's what he argued with himself as he sat down in his usual spot, back against the tree and eyes fixed on the beginning sunset, not even glancing in Raine's direction. She was nothing more than a frustrating human that he was bound to, someone that could throw off his plans if she was so hellbent on killing Scythe as soon as possible. As much as he told himself that though, his mind argued.
Serena rolled her eyes at his demanding response—why the tree, of all things? What was so special about it? She didn’t say anything, though just walked over and leaned against it instead of sitting down.
She watched the sun setting, the bright golden waves melting into orange and red as it slowly sunk into the horizon. She new the faerie next to her wasn’t looking at her. With the way he was fixated on the natural occurrence… Serena felt like she could run away and he wouldn’t notice until it was too late.
But, of course, she didn’t run. She stayed rooted and watched the magic of the sun for the first time in such a peaceful manner. To actually be able to enjoy it. She wished Alec could see it.
Her throat closed up. She wished her parents and Cynthia could see it.
Soon the Fae's thoughts wandered from Raine to his family, or the memories of his family as he studied the colored sky. Sunsrises and sunsets were not only part of his entire Fae lineage, they also held significance to his parents.
Venali was silent for quite a long time, battling with himself not to get swept up into memories. Not while he was around someone. And so, to keep himself focused, he asked, "Why does Scythe hold so much meaning to you?" His tone was calm and curious, and he clearly was just asking an honest question. All he had now was waiting for her to decide to answer or not.
As much as he told himself it was nothing, he found himself curious as to her past with the Fae.
Serena, despite wanting to, could not find herself pulled into the sunset. She was still tense, almost as if she was waiting for something to happen. So when Venali questioned her, she wasn't startled.
It took a while for her to answer, her rage smoothed into a cold calm.
"We have… history together, I suppose," she replied slowly, arms tightening around herself. "Unfinished business. He owes me something."
His life. He owed her his life, thought that disgusting thing would never amount to anything. Not to the life of her family. Not to the lost childhood of her and her brother. Serena knew this revenge had consumed her, but she didn't seem to care. She'd let it drive her until it hit home.
"Is this something worth killing him for?" He asked slowly, though he had a strong feeling it was. Scythe had done horrible things to humans, and there wasn't a doubt in his mind that he could've done something horrifying. Venali wanted to find out what it was, and if it was something worthy of letting Raine murder the Fae on the spot, he wouldn't stop her. If anything, he'd help. "What is your history with him?"
He glanced away from the sunset to look over at the girl, waiting patiently with an unreadable, if calm look on his face.
"I don't care if you tell me or not, but if you do, I will find a way for you to deal with him in whatever way you want. Kill him, torture him, let him go free, whatever you desire." Venali turned back to the sunset as he talked, watching as the reds and oranges in the sky grew more intense, slowly fading into the light and dark blues of the night sky taking over.
"He took something important from me," Serena said quietly, hugging herself tighter. Scythe had taken a lot of things from her. Her parents. Her big sister. Her innocence, childhood. He'd taken her sanity. Every time she closed her eyes, she would see them, her family. Her last night with them would replay in her mind, again and again. It had been her fault. If she hadn't—"And I'd like to get it back. I need to get it back, but I don't need your help to do it."
He wouldn't understand, this privileged Fae beside her. He never had to suffer what countless like her did. He wouldn't understand that unless she caught him herself, her mind wouldn't be at ease.
"I need to do it myself," Serena repeated, her voice still quiet, but calm and steady. "Otherwise there would be no use in doing it at all."
She'd wait until after the trials. She'd try and observe him as much as she could. She'd learned a lot about him, but learning without seeing and experiencing never did much. And when Alec would be safe, she'd make Scythe regret he ever chose to end a human's life.
Venali shrugged, picking at blades of grass as his attention drifted from the dissappearing sunset, "I have no intention of helping you get whatever he took back. I understand the importance of dealing with him alone, but I am going to help you do so without dying. He would snap your neck in an instant and you would stand no chance at the moment."
It took all his control not to add in how much he wanted a hand in Scythe's death as well. He had played a large part in his parent's deaths. Almost as large as his uncle's part. While Eldon had been the one to kill the pair of them, Scythe was the one that held a young Venali back, keeping him from stopping the slaughter. All while not hiding the smug grin of triumph at another dead human. No matter if it was Venali's mother or not.
He blinked quickly as he finally looked up at her, realizing he had zoned out as he had remembered his parent's deaths. All he had to hope was that she hadn't said anything important or asked any questions.
Serena said nothing in reply, mostly because she really had nothing to say. Not that there was anything to be further discussed, anyway. Serena couldn't trust Venali, not when he was royalty. Not when he was a faerie, a creature with no other purpose than to slaughter her kind.
And yet he saved Arya. Why would he do that if he was like every other faerie monster? a treacherous voice spoke up inside of her, a stupid and naive part of her. Serena gritted her teeth. He saved Arya for a reason. After all, she was still here, a slave to the very ones that cause chaos wherever they go.
But Serena stole a glance at the faerie the stupid side of her wanted to see, and she faltered when she caught that look on his face. It was… the same one she wore when she thought of her parents. That heavy look, the gritting of the teeth. It was oddly familiar, but just like that, it vanished when he snapped out of it. Faster than Serena could turn her head away, his eyes found hers. She broke the eye contact just as quickly, pretending she'd been staring at the sunset the entire time.
As quickly as she did, he looked away, focusing once more on the dying colors in the sky. He wouldn't mind staying until the sky was filled with stars, but Raine needed to be inside, and so he stood, brushing off his jacket easily.
"The sunset is almost over, let's get going," He said, offering out a hand absentmindedly, "If you move fast enough you can even visit your brother for a few minutes before heading to your cell."
Venali's words only held hints of calm, nothing hinting to the barrage of memories and emotions that had, and were currently crashing like waves in his mind. Even his posture hinted at calm collectedness, or at least boredom. Raine wouldn't care about what was going on in his head anyway, and had no need to know at that. She thought of him as the bad guy, and he saw no reason to show vulerability to not only a human; but someone who would most likely think he deserved his past.
Serena purposely scrunched her nose at the hand he held out, quirking an eyebrow at him. He was kidding her, right? Did he really think she'd allow him to touch her?
"Is he doing okay?" she asked, ignoring the hand he offered. "I just need to know that much. Seeing him right now would complicate things."
Alec would know what was plaguing her mind, and he'd try to talk her out of it. He had still been a child when their family was murdered, so as compared to her, he didn't feel as strongly. And it was fine. It was good at he didn't. Living a life of vengeance was no life at all. Some days, it consumed Serena entirely. Like today. She was so close to returning a favor, yet so far away…
"I'm not going to harm you, Raine. I was simply offering you a hand so you could get up," He said calmly, rolling his eyes as he saw her obvious suspicion, "He's fine. I'm making sure he's being taken care of and not being worked as a slave, though he still has a hell of an attitude. He asks about seeing you daily."
Venali pulled his hand away when it became clear she wasn't going to take it, and he took a step away, nodding to the palace again. She needed to be back in her cell soon, before the guards did their rounds and questioned why she was missing. Even if he wasn't going to be punished for talking to her out here, Eldon would pile on the tasks just to spite him, make his life more visible because he was talking to her.
Serena followed after him, her arms crossed around her chest as she listened to him. A small smile graced her lips. Of course Alec still had an attitude. He was her brother, after all.
"Good," she murmured. "When you next see him, tell him I said he needs to keep his heart steady. He'll know what it means."
If there was one thing Serena knew, it was that the Fae would use their desires to see each other to keep them apart. So she had to play it carefully. She'd last seen him a couple of days ago; the next time she'd see him would be before her second trial. Which reminded her…
"When's the next trial?"
Venali started away from the tree easily, his steps barely audible as he listened to Raine talk. "If I remember, I will relay the message," He replied, making his way back on the path towards the palace, which now was glittering with lights in the growing darkness. It was a beautiful sight, and for a moment, it caught the Fae's attention. The lights reminded him vividly of the stars, and it took all of his willpower not to be sucked into another memory. Not when Raine was so close by.
"When's the next trial?"
Her words echoed through his mind, pulling him back to the present, and to hide his silence, he answered only seconds later. "As of now it's in three weeks, just enough time to get you in better shape. I wouldn't put it past my uncle to move up the date though, as he didn't give me his word that he wouldn't." Knowing Eldon, that's exactally what would happen too.
"I want you to train me tomorrow," Serena said fiercely, looking back to watch the darkening sky. Her teeth gritted. Three weeks were too far away, but too close, too. She needed to be prepared. The first trial was easy. She didn't think the next would be. Besides, she'd need training to take down Scythe as well. "If he can move up the date, then I need to start preparing as soon as possible."
"No," Venali replied instantly, "You're still injured. I'm not risking you getting hurt more." He glanced over at her, his face a blank mask that didn't reveal any emotions behind the decision. The Fae wouldn't admit it, but the decision was a mix of concern for his future if she died, and actual concern for Raine. Her brother would be killed if she died, he would die, and she would too. It was a clever way to intertwine the three problems Eldon had to deal with, that much he would admit. "You're resting tomorrow. At most I'll allow you to make a list of things you want to work on when you train again."
“Fine,” Serena snapped, knowing it was useless trying to argue with him. And he was right; one more day of resting would be best. She didn’t want to get hurt and ruin her chances of winning the trials. She was not going to let her stupidity ruin everything for her. “And you don’t allow me to do anything, half-blood. I can make a list with or without you.”
It was insane how ridiculous he made her feel. Usually she was calm, but with him she always felt like exploding. It annoyed her.
"Then I suppose you'll be fine with me not allowing you to train?" He suggested, mostly just to be snarky, "Or allow you to see your brother?" Venali raised a questioning eyebrow as he glanced at her.
The palace doors appeared infront of them as they bickered, opened by a pair of guards when they saw Venali. It was clear they almost asked why Raine was at his side, but decided against it as he glanced at them with a stern glare. That was enough to shut them up.
Serena couldn’t help herself. She punched his shoulder in response, a scowl on her face that seemed permanent enough. She hadn’t hit him hard, no. If they hadn’t hated each other, it would have seemed like two friends bickering. But she did hate him, so it was not like that.
“Unless you wish to die,” she muttered. “Then go for it, Venali. Don’t allow me to train.”
