ravaged hearts

CHAPTER THIRTEEN,

RAVAGED HEARTS | CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  "YOU KNOW NOTHING." Io turned to Lilia, moving her gaze from Fiora. "And you barely know much more. Or at least won't tell us more than what you already have. You're not being very cooperative, Miss Sorrya."

  "I'm Falcon," she replied quietly, "I'm told to never be cooperative in the face of enemy interrogation. I'm going against my orders not being dead yet."

  Chevalier slumped back in her seat. "Even if you'd successfully delivered that message, I'd never have agreed to it. This is my hard-earned peace."

  "I follow orders, that's all." Lillia raised her chin. "Always been good at that, you know."

  "We know how the Meliqueans work," Louis said, his face expressionless. "You don't have to explain. But Bailen's children must be retrieved. That is our mission, and I'd advise you not to stand in our way."

  "I won't," Chevalier promised, subtly turning a hopeful glance towards Lilia.

  Lilia stayed quiet, and Anita sighed. "Well, at least we know who to search for now."

  "That is a breakthrough," Constanza murmured. "But how to hunt down this little exiled prince?"

  "He's not very little," Io pointed out, "he's quite old by now."

  "Since it's a Saian prince, obviously we now let Iolanthe Mi take the lead." Celinos nodded sarcastically.

  "What, you know shit about the qinwang?"

  "And you do? Were you even born when he was exiled?"

  Constanza's mouth remained shut. Io's fists clenched and unclenched. "Oh, I know him alright, I fucking know him."

  "Oh?" Celinos challenged. "Mi, no offence intended, but all you've done since coming here is berate us and grow enraged at the simplest of things. You're barely helping."

   Io jabbed one finger in Chevalier and Sorrya's direction. "I'm the sole reason these two are here. If you want to lie, at least lie within reason." The fact that Celinos was starting this here and now was already revealing his interest. You never started an internal argument in front of a potential enemy. It was a dead giveaway for you and your team's weaknesses. Io had to end this fast and efficiently. She hated, hated working with arrogant, inexperienced agents. It was her pet peeve.

  But she wasn't the only one with an ounce of experience in her. Louis had left his seat, sending Celinos a firm warning look. He might not respond to Io's commands as well, but he respected Louis. In situations like these, Io deemed it a prudent choice to let Louis take hold of the subsequent education the twins desperately needed.

  And she'd thought Celinos was the smart one.

  Both of them had ambition, and they had talent too. But they were young and they'd been given too much power after only a year or two in this line of work. Io had taken six years, and she was widely considered one of the best of her generation.

  The Vayanteans really lacked people, didn't they? Not that she could really blame them. Fighting a war didn't exactly help you raise a generation of well-adjusted, well-educated young adults. It did the opposite, actually.

  Sorrya was watching with rapt attention. That one, she had to keep close attention on. Chevalier just looked a bit annoyed. Maybe the woman really wasn't involved. It did line up, actually. Io's suspicious nature had just gotten the better of her rationality for once.

  Io said to Sorrya, "Ignore them. You know we'll find the prince with or without your help, right?"

  She nodded. Not a word left her mouth. Just a simple nod.