in return?” I didn't care about Neil, but I did care about what Master Akai thought I was worth.
“At the end of the rotation, if we stayed out of trouble, we would obtain a meeting where he would hear a single request. Of course, that won't happen. I'm fairly sure he counts getting tossed into the dungeons on multiple charges as trouble.” He shrugged and looked up.
Taking a moment to gather my thoughts, I laid down again, folding my hands across my abdomen. What could Neil have done to get his name on some random list in some tiny sector so far away? If it was the reason Bevan was killed, then it must have been something worthy of silencing someone.
I gasped and turned my head to watch Axton. My next words would need to be spoken carefully.
“What happened to Bevan's soul after you took possession of it? You never said.” When he looked at me with a blank countenance, I decided to fuck polite. “Did you personally drop his essence off at the soul soup, or did you give it to someone else? Someone that might have had it destroyed?”
His face turned grey, and his hand covered his mouth at the thought of his friend's soul being obliterated, unable to be inserted into any creature. For those of us on Delon, it was the ultimate punishment, one told to us from birth. Destruction, even the suggestion of it, could bring the strongest to their knees. It was total death.
When Axton's stomach settled, he shook his head. “No. No, I took him to the soul soup myself and passed him over to someone we hung around with. The three of us watched as they started the cleansing process. You don't think they ...” He couldn't even finish his sentence.
“No, I'm sure he's somewhere out there,” I said and looked up again. “If they were going to harm his essence, they wouldn't have let him enter the system.”
Axton did the same, his gaze so intent as if he could just search the sky and find the planet his friend began a new life on. I had no way of knowing if what I claimed was right, but it seemed to be the kinder thing to do.
“So, do you think Bevan has any connection to the Earth fiasco? What are your theories on what he stumbled into?” I tried to put the pieces together, but everything Axton relayed so far remained so vague that his clues didn't even have shapes to try to fit them into any pattern.
“I don't know. I'll show you the paper after we get the Office in order. Maybe you'll see something we haven't. Let's worry about that later. I didn't bring you here to hash out problems that aren't going anywhere and add more stress.” He laid down and scooted closer to me, stopping only inches away.
He may not have intended on adding to the list of things that sat on my shoulders, but now that he'd told me the story, it gnawed at my brain. When I glanced over at him, it seemed like he wasn't taking his own advice either.
“Why are you way over there?” I wiggled myself over to him, lifting my head and waiting for his arm. It took a moment, but he finally slid it under me, and I rested my head on him. “Now, tell me something about Axton, the boy. I want an embarrassing story, one that you swore you'd never mention to anyone.”
“What?”
I rolled over, pressing my hand against his chest, and smiled wickedly. “You heard me. I want something that I can hold over your head forever. Blackmail material is the standard first date topic, isn't it?”
His rapid blinking and the thread of panic he leaked drew a laugh from my lips. He chuckled, and it matched the relief that replaced his panic. That told me he thought I wasn't serious. Oh, Axton. So much to learn.
Chapter Twenty-One
We chatted until Umla grew near its peak. We laughed and avoided the heavy, depressing moments of our lives, leaving them for another time when the fate of worlds wasn't already dragging both of us down.
“And your least favorite thing?” I asked.
Axton lay on his side next to me, propped up on his elbow while his other hand played with my hair. He made a humming sound as he thought.
“Is it that difficult to pick something out that you dislike, or are there just too many choices?” I kept my voice