“We all die, son. The question is, who are we when we do?”
Aaron lifted the amulet before his eyes.
“Everything good about mankind?” he asked.
“Everything we wish we were and most often fail to be, Aaron,” said Robert.
But he wasn’t Aaron anymore, not then.
He put the amulet in his pocket, where his father wouldn’t see it. When he turned to leave, he paused, then glanced back at his teacher.
“Do you pray to Ashhur?” he asked.
Robert sighed. With what he had already said and done, Thren would surely take his life. There was nothing left to risk.
“Not as much as I should,” he said. “And nothing like I did when I was younger. The world is harsh, Aaron. Sometimes it seems like Ashhur isn’t even listening.”
He thought of the girl, pleading to Ashhur for him to give back her father. The hurt in Robert’s eyes was so plain, Aaron wondered who he had prayed for Ashhur to send back.
How cruel a world, thought the boy. But I won’t be its cruelty. I won’t.
Aaron left.
Robert poured himself a drink and sat down on his bed. And waited.
Aaron searched the entire compound. Dustin was nowhere to be found. Holding in a curse, he went looking for Kayla. He found her in the mess hall, eating with several other men. Aaron’s mind raced, trying to think of a way to talk to her without letting it be obvious. If anyone might help him in protecting the girl, it’d be her.
Summoning his courage, he walked straight up to her. If there was no subtle way, then being brazen about it would be less likely to draw attention than some half-assed secret communication.
“Kayla,” he said, feeling the eyes of others on him. No matter where he went, he was Thren’s son, and the thieves acted like a word from him would be their deaths. It might have been true, but it still made him feel uncomfortable. Of course, any attention made him feel uncomfortable. He preferred the corners and the shadows, not front and center.
“Yes, Aaron?” she asked.
He felt even more awkward with Kayla looking at him. He kept thinking how pretty she was. It didn’t help that with her leaning toward him, he had a nice view down her shirt.
“I need to find someone,” he said. Kayla shrugged and stood from the table, having already finished eating. A couple others mocked her for leaving a glass full of beer, but another cheerfully volunteered to finish it for her. When they were far enough away, Aaron blurted everything out at once.
“I need to find Dustin,” he said. “The one you fetched for my father.”
“Dare I ask why?”
“I’m going to kill him.”
Kayla held her surprise well.
“Again…dare I ask why?”
They were at the door to the mess hall. Aaron waited until she pushed open the door, then used its creak to help hide his voice.
“Because he’ll kill her,” he said.
Kayla immediately knew who.
“Shit,” she said. “You’re out of your mind. He’s a pro, Aaron.”
She led him down the hall. In the quiet, their voices seemed more ominous, their whispers carrying far. Kayla led them to her room as quickly as possible.
“You can’t,” she said once she shut the door. “You don’t even know her name. You’re throwing your life away, don’t you understand?”
Aaron clenched his fingers around the medallion through the fabric of his pants.
Everything good about mankind, Aaron thought. Everything good about me.
“I have to try,” he said. “Please, tell me where he went.”
Kayla bit her lip and stared at him. She’d joined the Spider Guild in search of money and reputation. So far, she’d rescued an old man from a prison and slaughtered a priest in front of his flock. Her reputation wasn’t exactly on the upswing. Aaron’s infatuation with her, while first seeming to have possibilities, had turned out to be a threat. What in the world would Thren think if she encouraged open rebellion within his own guild, let alone by his son?
“By telling you, I risk my own life, do you understand that?” she asked.
That seemed to shock Aaron a bit. He blushed, realizing how stupid he was to have not thought everything through.
“I can’t,” he said, turning to leave. “I can’t risk your life, not for me, not for her.”
“Aaron,” she said, grabbing his shoulder and turning him around. She smiled at him, even as her insides churned. What the abyss was wrong with her? She owed this boy nothing. Nothing!
“I researched the Eschatons before the job in what little time I had.