Page 91 of Runes To Rain
We are both gasping for breath, bleeding with broken bones, our clothes torn.
“Enough,” Bonum rasps quietly between gasped breaths.
Moments pass with just the sound of heaving breaths filling the silence.
“They killed Lily,” I finally say. Again, I feel the mental pain crash through me. It is so much worse than this physical pain, and I feel tears pricking at my eyes again.
“I know,” Bonum rasps. “I was going to warn you, but they moved up the timeline. By the time I found out, it was too late for me to do anything about it.”
I feel myself reeling at the fact that Bonum was going to warn me. They certainly have many reasons not to. Their story isn’t one for this moment, but while we have an uneasy and unspoken truce with the angels as a whole, I would consider most of them enemies. Somehow, Bonum is either less or more than that to me. Still, in all this time, I have never known them to take any action against their own kind.
“Is Chaosta yet alive?” they rasp quietly.
“I’m not sure,” I say, and there is silence for a few moments. We have each nearly caught our breath, and I know the remainder of this conversation will determine if we leave or return to the fight.
“It was her imprisonment that changed things for me,” they rasp.
I find myself looking at them in shock. Their blind eyes look through me. I’m yet again struck by how well they navigate the world with whatever sensory adaptations they have developed.
“I avoided seeing her tortured at first. I don’t approve of those methods as you might expect,” they rasp quietly. They roll their shoulders again, silent for a moment.
“After a while, I decided I shouldn’t stay away. I felt having someone there who did not approve would be a good safeguard.”
“The first session I watched, she refused to say anything despite the immense pain she must have been in,” they say with a wince. “I attended every session after.”
“The torture was one thing. It is a barbarity that I know we can agree has a place. However, it is simply excessive over that much time.” I see pain cross their features as they remember whatever it is that occurred.
“However, as I watched session after session, I saw her get stronger, not weaker. I saw how theHigh Leaderturned that which could have been a boon for us into a weapon. One that now has an excessively good reason to point itself at us. All because she challenged him when he made me drag her in front of him all those months ago.”
As I watch, they droop slightly, upper arms resting over their knees, and then lean forward and spit past the blood running down their face.
“I will not continue to sit silently in the shadows asRextakes inadvisable actions,” they rasp. “Instead, if there is information I think might help your work, I will deliver it to you.”
I close my eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath and considering. A clear new path is showing in my head, and yet speaking the words I know I must gives it a solidity that terrifies me. That terror makes me take some time to consider.
Finally, I say, “It is a kind offer you make, and I understand some of what it took to say it. However, this is not only on your shoulders. We don’t change things by continuing the actions that resulted in this outcome.”
I pause, and when I look up, I see Bonum’s face aimed at me. The disconcerting feeling of their eyes looking through me draws me back in my memory. Somehow, that memory solidifies my resolve.
“Whatever it is you decide to do or not do. After what has just occurred, my people and I can no longer remain on the sidelines. There is no room for neutrality. The demons will begin to prepare to fight.”
With that, I rise slowly to my feet and take a step back.
I watch as Bonum does the same. The air, or is it the energy, suddenly uneasy between us.
Then Bonum turns and walks with a slight limp out of the alley, their back to me.
“Bonum,” I call.
They stop walking and turn their head slightly.
“Don’t mistake this as a real truce. You are not my ally.”
“And you are not mine,” Bonum rasps. Then, without moving, they say, “I hope Chaosta survives.”
With that, they leave the alley. I take a moment to quiet my emotions before transporting myself back to the demon stronghold.
I know I need to check on Chaosta, but I am terrified that when I get there, I will just receive the news that she’s dead. As long as I remain away, she somehow continues to live. Yet, especially after this conversation with Bonum, I fully comprehend how important she is to this. If there is anything I can do to help save her, it must be done. It is becoming clear that because of her actions, we are moving ever quicker toward balance.
