Chapter 186

Chapter 186

Sunny loomed over Aaron by at least half a foot, doing the most accurate demonstration of foaming at the mouth Id ever seen. Despite the intensity, Aaron seemed unaffected, almost bland, hands shoved in his pockets, even as Sunny bore down on him.

Its too fucking soon to move on the tower. Sunny said.

Im aware of your opinion on the matter. And if were bitching about expediency, care to explain the User you just railroaded through the process? The same User that apparently just broke protocol and appeared in the central compound.

Sunny stuck his finger in Aarons face. A long trail of Lichtenberg figures spanned from his third finger to his forearm. They hadnt been there earlier. Apparently, Seer was telling the truth: anyone outside the Order couldnt see the mark. I recruit whoever the fuck I want.

Aaron glanced at me, though Sunny hadnt realized Id returned yet. An allowance the retainer granted both of us. But I think its a little odd that the User you bring in last-minute assaults and seriously injures members of the team taking part in an operation you vocally opposed.

Sunny grinned so widely it looked as if his face might split. They attacked him first. And if I wanted to put some of your people out of commission, Aaron, I wouldnt send a recruit. And he sure as hell wouldnt be unarmed.

Aarons brow furrowed as he pivoted toward me, directly acknowledging my presence for the first time. You did all that without a weapon?

I shrugged. They were inexperienced. It didnt seem necessary.

Right Like I hadnt even spoken. Aaron focused back in on Sunny. You see how this looks? And with the timing, theres no way I can know how much you coached him.

Stop talking out of the side of your fucking mouth. If you want to accuse me of something, say it. We can have it all out in front of the court and Sibyl and be done with it. Again, Sunny stuck his finger in Aarons face, a hairs breadth from touching his forehead.

There was enough tension in the room that it felt like either of them could snap at any moment. I was half-tempted to just leave. If I had the elevator code, I might have. Wash my hands of it, take the non-zero chance they might kill each other and save me the trouble. Instead, I unbuckled my gauntlet. When Azure played Myrddin in Aarons backyard, hed done so with some cheek. I saw no reason to discontinue the trend.

I held my bare forearm up to the light. There a trader with ointment? Shit itches like a motherfucker.

Aarons eyebrows shot up in surprise, while Sunny appeared completely unsettled. From their reactions, I filled in the blanks. Neither expected Hastur to actually talk to me.

I stand corrected. Aaron murmured.

Right, uh Sunny attempted to regain his balance, though his eyes kept flicking to the mark. See? Clearly legitimate.

He who I think he is? Aaron asked.

Uhuh. Sunny confirmed.

Solid get. Though its unfortunate you were the one to bring him in.

I was already answering before I received the prompt from Azure. Is that an official query?

Yes. Aaron said.

Then no. My patron isnt exactly a bullet-point planner. I originally intended to win the events, carrying a single region to the end, getting to know their strengths and weaknesses intimately in case the final stages get unpleasant. If Hastur can follow through on his claimend this before the second eventthat wont be necessary.

Your patron being the Allfather of Chaos? Aaron asked.

Yes. I admitted. There was no point in denying it, especially when the lie could be so easily conflicted with all the chatty gods going around.

Did you get the feeling its going that way without Hasturs interference? Last man standing? Aaron asked. I felt genuine interest in the question. Realistically, hed only spoken to Hastur, who probably revealed little beyond hints and riddles.

Count yourself lucky. I groused. The Allfather is infinitely more cryptic than the Retainer. He mentioned nothing to that effect.

I didnt ask what the Allfather said. I asked what you felt. Aaron corrected.

I considered it. If this was really about reformation, as the Overseer implied, I couldnt see it. The systemand for that matter, the last eventprioritized strength over all.

Theyre burning through casualties at an unsustainable rate. At the very least, its flamethrower eugenics. Within our dome, I could see a few hundred people left at most. The real question is whether this is the semi-finals.

And the survivors get pitted against each other after the dome comes down. Aaron said thoughtfully. Ive considered that possibility myself.

I silently noted that he hadnt asked me if I was working with Sunny. Either using his authority to inquire directly about a member of the order with similar authority to his own was off-limits, or he knew it was pointless, meaning confirmation that Sunny had found a way to circumvent the geas.

Putting the theoretical aside, for the moment, I fucked up one of your teams right before an op. That wasnt my intention, and if you want to shift the teams around and find a spot for me, I can more than make up for the three I dropped. Of course, on the condition you drop the isolation requirement.

What Sunnys face turned red.

I think thats an excellent idea, Aaron said smoothly, all but leering at the taller man. Anything for the advent. Isnt that right, Sunny?

Sunny paused. He seemed to realize why I was going this route. But he didnt look happy about it.

What Aaron said next surprised the hell out of me. Our high-level teams are well-balanced. In both powers and personalities. There might be a space for you on one of them in the future, but I dont want to fuck with their composition right before an op.

Meaning I trailed off, bracing for it.

Im putting you with Zero-team. Make preparations, swing by a vendor if you need to, then report to the Ceaseless Knight. You roll out at sunset.