Page 53 of Runes To Rain
I barely register Bonum handing Reem the pile of papers and Dio’s face at the door, asking the others something. I feel him staring at me, but not the sting of his usual glare.
Then the angels direct me to a waiting carriage, load me roughly onto a seat, and sit pressing against either side of me. Bonum sits across from me, and their face is a blank mask.
My chest aches badly, and my heart pounds too fast as I’m carried toward whatever fate has hold of me now.
DIO’S JOURNAL - ENTRY 208
Annum:5614
Entry 208 - profunde in merda
A lot has already happened today, and it’s still only morning. Everything was going normally, and then, apparently, some city officials knocked on our door. I got there in time to see a group of them arresting Chaosta on murder charges.
I’ve made my feelings about those government positions known previously, but I just need to say what scum I feel they are. I know the angels are out there somewhere pulling their strings, and they just go along with it. Just because they’ve made life easy for people, too easy if you ask me, and protect us well, doesn’t mean that they’re in the right. Much of what they are doing is ruining this world.
Despite knowing that what we’re doing is dark and twisted, I’m confident that we are working toward a workable solution for the right reasons. If only more people felt the way I do.
Anyway, let me get back on track. Not only is Chaosta charged with murder, but the supposed murder victim was a city official. The officials that showed up this morning didn’t provide any additional information because an investigation is still occurring.
Not like I’ll cry about a dead city official. Fuck the scum enforcers, is all I can say; anyone under our “overlord's” thumb can rot. But Chaosta? Killing someone? I mean, her behavior is all over the place, and I wouldn’t be shocked if she hurt someone, but killed? And a city official at that? Normally, they’re armed.
Of course, I must admit, I feel validated in my earlier feelings that she might be up to more than just using drugs. Not that I’m pleased to be right, of course, it is just good to know that my instincts are indeed well honed.
I’m not making the same mistake again, though, and with my encouragement, we moved up the summoning ritual. Fuck the damnably long time for this ritual. I think I’ll see if Reem wants to go boxing with me, take our minds off it for a while.
I’ll admit, I’m having a surprisingly strong reaction to Chaosta’s arrest. I’m sure it’s because of the risk this is bringing to our doorstep. If The Boys’ charity case ends up in the midst of a scandal, there will be animpact on all of us. For so many reasons, it wouldn’t be good for us to be in the spotlight.
DIO’S JOURNAL - ENTRY 209
Annum:5614
Entry 209 - maleficium
Damn. I don’t even know how to begin this journal entry. I believe I have significantly underestimated Chaosta.
No, that’s not right. I’ve been fucking blind.
Normally, my single-mindedness is an asset. Sometimes it bites me in the ass, and this is the latter.
Fuck, I can’t get the words out. I’ll try later.
DIO’S JOURNAL - ENTRY 210
Annum:5614
Entry 210 - acedia
Everything is still swirling, but I need to try to get this written down while I remember. This is important.
After Chaosta was taken, we moved up the ritual to summon Malam. Six hours is a long time to wait (trust me, it feels even longer now that I know more), so I asked Reem if he wanted to go with me to the boxing gym. He declined. I could tell he was struggling. Chaosta’s arrest puts all of us at risk. Reem likes Chaosta well enough, but I think mostly he’s worried about the impact on the band and the four of us if this goes sideways. I could tell that Lent and Fem were having a tougher time since they’ve been getting close to her.
I decided to go to the boxing gym by myself to kill some time, and I had some good matches.The physical exertion was grounding, and the new bruises were a good distraction.
When I got back to the mansion, there were still multiple hours to wait. The house employees made us lunch, but some of us couldn’t eat. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Lent not eat what's put in front of him, so that really showed how miserable he felt. The limited discussion we had was tense, and arguments kept springing up about what to do. I wisely kept my mouth shut, even though at the time I was still under the assumption that she’d likely been at the mercy of drugs and made an error. At the time, I was angry and more worried about the potential threat to the four of us and the cause, which doesn’t even get into the risk to our reputation and livelihood.
Eventually, the time came, and Malam walked through the front door. I may still not like him, but that demon can read a room. He took one look at all of us standing in the entry hall and asked in his guttural, angry voice what happened to Chaosta. We all hesitated. It was Fem who found the words first and explained about her arrest.
That was the first moment I realized there was more coming because Malam was amazingly calm and composed. He asked a couple of questions about paperwork, which we answered, and asked us to describe the officials, which we did. Finally, he asked if she had her sword on her, and we told him she didn’t.
