A Dance Of Crowns & Thrones | Book I

Chapter 62 | "I'm Just Saying."

"Seriously so boring," Snow shook her head, pouting before she looked at the rest of the warriors, who rolled their eyes at her.

"Why did we let her go?" her voice changed as she stared at Ace, back to being snarky with the man.

Matthew hated the fact that she had used a device to alter her voice to the deeper tone that she used, and had kept changing it over the years. Exhaling, he rolled his eyes at her; he just wanted to punch her in the face once. The way she just got on his nerves.

"I said," she clicked her fingers, "Why the fuck did you actually let her go!"

"Click your fingers at me again, and I'll fucken break them," he spat in disgust. "And the answer to your question is because Ezra needs to know."

"We could have killed her; it sends a message." She raised her staff at the man, who knocked it away, his irritation growing.

"And what message is that?" Jesse folded her arms, ignoring the woman's attempt to annoy Matthew as her staff was raised again in his face, to which he knocked it away once more.

"That killing the messenger is a message."

Even if they couldn't see the woman through her headgear, they could sense the tone of delight as she raised her staff once more, forcing the Jesse, Toni and Richie to exhale. Matthew was going to crack it, they all knew it. 

"We are going home," he declared, knocking the staff away with such force that it fell to the ground, the metal making a heavy thud against the broken, mildew-covered earth. "Crawl back to whatever district you came from and stay there."

Bored with her presence, he had better places to be than being with her at this time of night.

"Gladly, if I was confident enough to think that you could do this on your own," Snow growled, "you'll fuck this up without me!"

Not waiting for a response to her statement, she turned on her heel. Her hand flared out as the staff appeared in her hand, and then her magic took her away from the area, leaving the warriors to themselves.

"I don't know if this is getting better or worse, to be honest," Toni began, watching as Jesse only shook her head.

She had been watching the night fall around her, then down to her nails; the blistering cold had made her nails turn purple, and that's when she noticed a particular nail. "I think I chipped one," she moaned, "I had these done for tomorrow night."

"By the way, why did you let her go?" Richie shook his head, confused. Usually, they butchered them on the field. Not let them run back to Ezra.

"Hmm?" Matthew asked, bewildered, watching as Jesse raised her hand. Studying her nails, Toni cocked his head, watching her, and then Matthew swayed his head to Richie, who asked him again why he let her go.

"I'm fucken over it tonight. Fuck Ezra, fuck this whole hide and seek game Cid wants to play. She wants to keep coming at us every night, then she can know we aren't taking it lightly."

"You don't think it'll piss her off more?" Toni rolled his head to his best mate now, then Jesse, who was still in her world, "retaliate more?"

Matthew shrugged, "To be honest, she is already hell-bent on destroying everything and everyone. We aren't lying down for this. Cid nor the elders can control this; they're delusional to believe it. The laws and our academies don't bind us. And she knows of us, the warriors, and it's natural to think we would fight back. How much worse could it fucken get?"

"Agreed." Jesse was back into the conversation, breaking her attention from her chipped nail. "I mean, there is no backlash on anyone; we are free to do what we want. Even if Cid cracks it later, it's not like the bases will take the rap. No one really knows where we come from or where our allegiance lies."

"I'm just saying," Richie moaned. "More sleepless nights for us, and I just get this ba-"

"-SHUT UP!" Jesse screamed.

"-Why, why the fuck do you even speak!" Toni bellowed.

"-Richie, you're about to get fucken decked!" Matthew roared..

"-dddd, feeling about all of this!" Richie was wide-eyed if they could see him with the sudden screaming directed his way. "Whatttt?" he honestly had no idea why they were up in arms at him.

"Fucken shut your mouth with your bad feeling shit!" Matthew snapped, "the sooner we get this sorted, the sooner things can go back to normal around here!"

Jesse frowned and turned her attention to Toni, who nodded, suggesting he would tell her later. He and Matthew had disappeared before to chat; knowing that his best mate had been in a feral mood all day, Jesse and Toni agreed he would be the person to find out why.

"Okay, well, speaking of something to make you feel better, good vibes and all." Richie offered mischievously, watching as Matthew rolled his head to the man.

"Hmm?"

Richie smirked, "I wasn't meant to tell you, she made me promise not to say anything, but a certain someone's waiting in your bedroom."

Matthew moaned, "and who gave her a temporary key to be allowed into my room?"

"You, my friend, need to unwind- this pent-up person is no fun." Richie offered, nodding as though having one of the fan club girls to service the man would bring back fun, Matthew.

"Well, you can get her out of my room," eyes deadpanned Richie.

Jesse cocked her mouth, knowing that the last few days without Eko had left a strung cord in the man that was unusually unlike himself.

The fan club wasn't the way to go with it, not that Jesse didn't know that he wasn't sneaking off to Seatac during the middle of the night to see Eko anyway.

"Come on," Richie moaned. "Lucy is your favourite."

"Then you take Lucy, and I'll go to bed."

"Nah," Richie contemplated. "Mac's asleep back home. Highly awkward."

"Just get her out of my room, Rich," Matthew replied, his mind occupied with other thoughts.

For one, finding other people to use the crystals was an extreme idea to consider. Additionally, dealing with the annoying individual who called herself Snow had really pushed his patience that night. He had just concluded a very long meeting with Cid and was ready to leave to see someone when their enemies showed up. This meant he would get to her sometime after midnight at that stage.

"Are you hung up on Eko or something? Is that why?" Richie antagonized, forcing Matthew to roll his head toward him.

"I'm in no mood for this shit," he exhaled, then disappeared.

Richie's mouth fell open, and then to Toni and Jesse, that shook their heads.

"Leave it, for the love of god," Jesse exhaled, watching as Richie suddenly found something to scratch at with Matthew.

The man smirked, "well," elongating his words, "this is something for tomorrow. Right now though, I am going to bed. Mac is gonna wonder where the fuck I am." Waving and laughing, Jesse and Toni watched as he disappeared, leaving the couple to themselves.

"Come." Toni offered, and with a nod, they both disappeared from the bloody field of monsters and landed at the entrance of Allegiant, de-transformed they quietly strolled into the midnight life of their home.

--- Author's Notes ---- 

Who agrees with Richie... we need ANSWERS!!! VOTING WILL GIVE YOU ANSWERS!!!