Chapter Text
Lucanis’s conversation with Caterina is direct and terse. He expected nothing less. She has expectations and so does he. They’ll work out the details later. In the meantime, Caterina is content to be the First Talon in spirit and politics, while Lucanis fulfills the physical and contracted duties. The arrangement will work for now, until Caterina can identify a proper advisor.
They discuss Caterina’s plans for Rook. Lucanis doesn’t like some of those plans, and Spite really doesn’t care for them, but Caterina makes her intentions clear. There is work to do, and when it comes to dangerous magic, the Mage-killer and his Crow-mage are going to make sure the work is done right. “If that means you put aside your feelings for an evening, that is what you will do,” Caterina says tartly. “The work doesn’t wait, Lucanis.”
When the time comes to discuss Illario, Caterina sends Teia out of the room. When she is gone, Caterina looks at Lucanis. “You made your decision,” she says.
Lucanis nods. “I did. He’s family.”
“And that will be your undoing, if you are not careful. This is why you will have Rook. You need someone to watch for what you refuse to see.” Caterina taps her fingers on her cane. “You are different,” she says. “Illario caused that.”
“Illario tried to kill me,” Lucanis says.
“And his hirelings could not do that, so they put you in a cage and let a demon feast on you, instead,” Caterina snaps.
Lucanis feels Spite shiver. Grandmother-Crow doesn’t like us, the demon mutters.
Lucanis doesn’t respond aloud. It will not do any good. He waits for Caterina to say more, but the anger seems to go out of her. She looks at him with a mixture of pity and suspicion.
“There will be rumors, questions, and concerns,” Caterina says. “I will deal with them.” She glares. “If your demon ever becomes an issue, I trust that having a Crow-mage at your side will be sufficient to deal with it.”
She does not like us, Spite grumbles. Our Rook will not have to ‘deal’ with us.
“Why are you smiling?” Caterina demands.
Lucanis says, “You’re right. Having Rook at my side keeps the demon in control.”
“Good,” Caterina says sharply. She looks at her hands. “As for Illario,” she says. “When Viago is done talking with him, when the full extent of his crimes is known, I will offer a safe house to him. He may choose which one he wants. After that, I will wash my hands clean.”
“He’ll be free,” Lucanis says. “And alone.”
Caterina looks at Lucanis without a speck of pity. “Illario would have killed you for nothing,” she hisses. “The title of First Talon was never going to be his. Even if his Venatori had actually killed you, there was no seat waiting for him, no name, nothing. He was never going to have it.” She shakes her head. “Lucanis. Have him earn his real freedom. For now, remember that he sacrificed his own family for a presumption of power, and all it cost him was hundreds of lives, a city, and a portion of his soul.”
Lucanis hears her. In his head, Spite whispers, Cousin-Crow. Spared. Not spared?
“No, we didn’t spare him,” Lucanis says quietly.
“No,” Caterina agrees. “We did not. You did not. This freedom? It is a cage for him, and I think he’ll find the shadows an unwelcoming place.” She looks at him. “You, on the other hand, might find them to be safer than you remember. Your Crow-mage might have some advice on listening to the darkness.”
Lucanis bows his head. “Good night, Caterina.”
Caterina nods. “Good night, Lucanis.” She stands up from her chair, hobbles to him, and kisses his cheek. “My boy,” she murmurs. “I am glad to see you home.” It is the only affection she has for him.
Lucanis lets himself out of Caterina’s room, closes the door gently behind him. Viago, Teia, and Rook are waiting for him. Lucanis walks over to Rook. Viago clears his throat loudly. Lucanis glares at him.
Viago rolls his eyes. “I am allowed,” he says. He takes Rook’s hand and places it in Lucanis’s. Teia smiles and claps her hands once. “He came to his senses,” she teases.
“We all benefit,” Viago says with a huff. He looks at Lucanis. “Do not let the gods kill Rook, or I will be extremely angry with both of you.”
“I plan on killing them,” Lucanis says. He squeezes Rook’s hand. “We have a contract to finish, shadow.”
“Best we get on that, First Talon,” Rook says.
“Get out of here,” Viago says, shooing them out of the office. “Go. Go be that way elsewhere. Out of my sight.” He is smiling as he says it.
Teia sighs. “Such an old man,” she teases. “Leave the ‘old man’ to me. Go enjoy the fresh air. When it’s time to kill the gods, you know where we are.”
Outside the casino, Rook and Lucanis walk away from the Crows, the crowds, and the markets. When they are alone on a walkway far from the casino, they each take a deep breath. “Well,” Rook says, “this has been one of the most stressful days of my life.”
“It started off bad,” Lucanis says. “It got worse. I saw you. It got better. Then it got worse again.” He sighs and rubs a hand over his face. “I swear, one of these days, we will not be dealing with my family and their… all of this.”
Rook laughs. “Well, if you’re serious about them becoming my family too—”
“Mierda. I didn’t think of that.” Lucanis sighs again. “You’re right. I’ll teach you the best ways to deal with them. Caterina likes strong red wine and silver pens. Illario…” He grimaces. “Just leave Illario to me.” He looks at Rook. “Caterina thinks I have a blind spot for him. She’s right and she’s wrong.”
“You see him for who he is,” Rook says. “So do I.”
“I know, but seeing him is one thing. Knowing him is another. I know how he thinks, how he works, what he will do to get what he wants.” Lucanis looks around. “Did you lead us here?” he asks.
“I was following you,” Rook says. “Where are we?”
“The Dellamorte gardens, just outside the estate.” Lucanis looks thoughtful. “Which means the guest house is over the wall.”
Rook frowns. “Haven’t you spent enough time today listening to him talk?” she asks gently. “You don’t need him in your head for the rest of the night.”
“He won’t be,” Lucanis says. He kisses her. “Wait for me. I need to say one thing to him. Just one. Then we will be done with him. He can have his freedom and be free of my life after this.”
Rook watches Lucanis walk through the gate. She trusts him. She hopes whatever he needs to say can finally lift the responsibility for Illario from Lucanis’s shoulders. He’s held his cousin up for long enough. Illario will learn to walk as a free man, or he’ll soon learn what it really means to run.
Illario has been drinking all day. He’s eaten a plate of cheese and fruit, too, but the wine is far more appealing. He’s found a few bottles of Ferelden claret in the guest house cellar, dated to 9:10 Dragon. It is thoroughly awful wine, and he cannot believe what Caterina paid for it. What a foolish old woman, to pay that much for shitty wine.
Illario recalls a job from his early adulthood, one that took him and Lucanis to Ferelden. The Fereldans didn’t call the wine ‘claret,’ it was just Ferelden red, and it was the worst and best wine Illario ever tasted. Back then, it smelled of overripe red fruit and earthy herbs, and tasted like rotten berries and poor-quality tobacco. Drinking a 9:10 Dragon variant of the same wine brings back memories, and the wine is still horrible, but it makes Illario smile. It reminds him of a time before he felt pushed aside.
He's just opened the second bottle when he thinks he hears the whisper of a door opening and closing. He walks out of his room, down the hallway, and into the entry area of the guest house. There is no one there. Shrugging, Illario walks back to his room, pours himself a generous glass of wine, and reminisces about dog-loving Ferelden, chasing down an absolute waste of a contract, and laughing himself stupid with his cousin.
We could have had that forever, cousin, Illario thinks bitterly. All you had to do was believe in me, trust me, and let me lead. I would have made our house so strong.
He drains half the glass before he realizes he’s not alone. It’s the softest of sounds, the creak of the wall, the pressure as someone carefully leans against it. Illario refills his glass. He will be fortified for this little chat.
Illario looks up to see his unexpected visitor. He smiles. “Did you come back for more, cousin? Or were you hoping that everything I said earlier was just for that silly little scribe’s benefit?”
Lucanis stands against the wall, silent.
“Oh, Lucanis,” Illario sighs. “I promise you, everything I’m saying now? Complete truth.” His smile widens. “How long before they turn on you, cousin? How long before they can’t overlook what you really are?”
To Illario’s surprise, Lucanis smiles. “You’re alone,” he says quietly. “How long before the only conversations you have are with the birds in the aviary? How long before you are on your knees in front of me, begging for the silence to stop?”
Illario frowns. “What silence? What are you talking about?” He waves his hands. “When this ‘interrogation,’ Viago’s little charade, is over, I’m walking out that door. I’m a free man, thanks to you.”
“You are free,” Lucanis agrees. His eyes glimmer with crimson, and Illario’s smile melts from his face. “You’re free, Illario,” Lucanis says. “You’re free, cousin, until you aren’t.”
Illario scoffs. “I’m a Crow, Lucanis. I’m like you. I know how to move in shadows just as easily.” He smiles. “Besides, I still have a few friends out there. They’ll be listening and waiting for me. All I’ll need to do is start directing the play from the darkness, and—poof. We’ll be right back where we started, and you’ll plead family again. Let’s see if they listen to you a second time.”
Lucanis adjusts a knife in his belt. “I think you’ll find the shadows less inviting, Illario. I suggest you get used to the quiet.” He turns and walks from the room.
Illario puts the glass and the bottle down. “Lucanis? Lucanis, what does that mean?”
Silence is the only answer. Illario hurries down the hall to the entryway. “Lucanis?” he calls, but his cousin does not respond. The Dellamorte guest house, so small, so comfortable, suddenly feels vast and empty, far too exposed for a sensible Crow’s comfort. What did Lucanis say about the shadows? And why do they look so long in this tiny, tiny space?
Illario realizes there are no lamps lit on the walls, and he does not know where to find matches. A tremor of fear ripples through him. “Lucanis? Cousin? Answer me!”
There is nothing. No sound. No whispers. Illario didn’t even hear Lucanis leave. The silence is like a lingering scream. It unnerves Illario, and he fumbles for the front door, struggles with the latch, does not relax even when it falls into place with a heavy click.
For the first time in his life, Illario Dellamorte is afraid of the dark.
Lucanis leaves the guest house without a sound. He thinks he hears Illario’s panicked breathing from within the walls, but he doesn’t stop to listen. He feels a rush of relief, of his own freedom from Illario. He said what he needed to say and no more. It might be finally over.
Lucanis follows Spite’s senses to Rook. She is waiting in the shadows outside the Dellamorte estate’s walls. She is comfortable in the darkness, the corners and the hidden spaces. Spite hums pleasantly in Lucanis’s head when he takes Rook’s hands. “It’s over,” he tells her. “I want to go home.”
“We technically are,” Rook says. She looks around the grounds, Treviso’s buildings, and up at the night sky. “You can’t see stars in the Lighthouse,” she says. She looks at him. “But until this contract is over, that is home.”
“I’m ready if you are.”
“Only if you’re coming with me.” Rook tugs on his hand and they walk back to the casino, the eluvian, and their home away from home. The Crows rule Antiva. Treviso is almost free. Home is almost within reach, and the Lighthouse awaits.
Fin