Lol
My eyes narrow as I look at the annoying as fuck word before it disappears.
Downing the last of my alcohol, I stand up, ready to go grab another when I spot Leo walking away for a smoke and decide to follow him.
I need to talk to him anyway.
I catch up to him easily, and he stops at the edge of the water as the waves crash against the shore. I stand a few feet away from him and turn towards the water.
The music and the bustle of chatter and laughter are faint from this distance, but we can still see the marquee and the lights illuminating the darkness, the warm glow a beacon of hope and happiness in these dreary times.
I glance at Leo, noticing his brown hair has some strands of grey at the front. He looks tired, too.
“Theo,” Leo says, not bothering to look at me as he lights his own cigarette and takes out the packet and offers me one. I take one as he flicks the lighter, and I lean over, lighting my cigarette before I turn towards the sea, taking a long drag on the cigarette.
“I have a proposition for you,” I say, cutting straight to the chase. I keep my voice low. He raises an eyebrow as he looks at me.
“And what might that be?” he asks, his voice cold and callous as ever, his accent thick. But that’s just who he is.
“Seems being King is taking its toll, huh?” I murmur. He cocks a brow but doesn’t respond, waiting for me to continue.
The night breathes around us, the breeze cool, the sea stretching black and endless as far as you can see, the smell of the salty water filling my nose.
I sigh heavily. “Alright,” I begin, “Since you’re committed to being a fucking grouch, let me complete what I wanna say, and at least hear me out before interrupting.”
Leo doesn’t turn; his posture as confident and collected as always, as rigid as the crown he pretends doesn’t weigh on him.
“We both know you need someone out there,” I continue. “Someone you can trust, someone willing to go the distance. Someone who can be your eyes and ears on the outside.”
“No.”
His word is sharp and cutting.
I cock a brow. “What?”
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a thin slip etched with faint runes, old magic humming beneath the surface. He lights it with practised ease. The charm burns quietly, ash lifting into the wind as a muted pressure folds around us, making the world beyond the circle quieter and sealing our voice within the circle.
“I said no,” he repeats, voice low. “I’m not going to allow you to do this shit. You do understand what it would mean, right?”
“I do.”
“Do you?” He finally turns, his piercing blue eyes burning into me.
“Yeah, I have what it takes to do this, to be seen as someone who abandoned you all.”
He shakes his head. “That would mean the entire world would have to believe you betrayed us. That you’re nothing more than a traitor.”
“Yeah, and that’s what I want, so no one I care for can be used against me,” I answer.
Her face appears in my mind, her hazel eyes sparkling, her blond hair catching the light. A smile too perfect for this world. A warmth I don’t deserve.
“It would mean you can never meet your family.”
“I know,” I say quietly. “And that’s why it has to be me.”
He exhales in frustration. “That shit ain’t to be taken lightly, Theo.”
“My abilities are meant for this, man,” I reply. “My path was never meant to be here. I’m not a leader, Leo. I’m the one you send ahead of the army. I move where others can’t be sensed. I do what most of our people won’t. I can become your eyes and ears where you will never be able to reach. Not anymore.”
