Heaven Hath No Rage - Book Two

Em and Phen (One and Two)

CYCLE EM- CYCLE ONE

Theo had laid low for many suns after the night she saw Jona. She didn't want to risk raising any suspicions by going to visit him. So, she jumped straight into the whirlwind of settling into the island. After the dust had cleared and her crew had tasks and a routine, she began to chance a walk every evening. After others came to expect her nightly stroll, she decided to finally take a meeting with him. He lived in the small sliver of the residential district that was protected by armed guards.

Theo had little trouble getting in. And she had little trouble getting out. In less than a half-hour, she had entered and left Jona Amyrrett's mansion. She wanted to spend the least amount of time in his presence as possible. They struck their deal soon after Theo was escorted to his study. She was going to write a letter to one of her contacts in Aubermasse. Jona would inform Ava of this and if she wanted to, she could find a way to retrieve the letter and perhaps even send one back. It could have been slightly simpler with a direct handoff between Jona and Ava but he couldn't risk Jona reading it, which he probably would.

In addition to being a messenger, Jona would get information on Ava, her well-being, and what she was up to. He would write to Theo to brief her on what he found throughout his time at court. In return, when the time came, she would ensure that the next in line to his father's position was Jona. With the self-control of a merciful god, able to strike someone down but choosing not to, Theo exited the room after an unsavory joke from Jona about potentially marrying Ava.

His family wouldn't be the only ones she would kill if that happened.

She went back to Marian's and the party she had left had grown and Niveal's festivities were underway. Having a base of operations in the middle of a tavern that still operated meant that her crew was partying every sun. Not that it would have been different even if their base was across the island. They were in Niveal, expecting her crew to not enjoy themselves was like expecting a sailor stranded at sea not to want fresh water. Theo sometimes partook in the merriment, she was trying to pay attention to the advice given to her. She was trying to be more receptive than she had been during her time at Corinspe, she was trying to heed her officer's words like she used to.

They had told her to lighten up, join in on the fun, get back to the core of leading a crew. And she did. She tried. She would drink with her friends and participate, never doing too much. Even if it was Niveal, their traditional bender didn't seem right at that moment, so Theo hadn't truly let loose. There was still something inside her that was preventing her from having fun, from experiencing joy the way she used to. Her engagement in conversations would drift, her mind floating to work, or recruits, or Ava. She would be pulled out of the middle of a laugh, unable to pinpoint why it would get caught in her throat.

Some nights were worse than others. She couldn't predict when she would be fine and when she would feel a deep hole in her chest. Sometimes, she was on top of tables dancing and singing and doing a jig with her friends and other nights she would slip away from the partying to sit in a room alone with her thoughts. That night was a night she needed to be alone. The deal with Jona was weighing on her mind, had she made the right choice? It was too late to go back on her word and even if she could, she wouldn't have wanted to. Theo had a chance to let Ava know she was trying to get her back to safety and away from her father. Jona would be leaving in the morning and once he sailed away, her promise was sealed.

Theo couldn't fake a smile or pretend to be enjoying herself. After an acceptable amount of time of having shown her face, she walked out of the tavern with the excuse that she had an early morning and long sun ahead of her. A few hours before, they had received a new wave of 15 recruits. The crew would have to be up early to process their arrival. Theo usually helped manage the intake of new recruits in the mornings, before having to move on to other ship matters. Iona was heading training for recruits in self-defense and fighting for the vanguards in the aftermornings and Theo needed to be rested to oversee that as well. That coupled with the fact that Kaia had the sun off according to the schedule and couldn't pick up Theo's slack meant that her excuse was accepted with no question. Theo was free.