The Mythos Trials

Chapter Twelve, Part Two

Lucas wasn't leaving anything to chance.

Two days had passed since his encounter with Reeves. Two days spent in abject terror as he set out to do what the Shade had tasked him with. Winning one of the Silvestrian clans over to his side had proven easier than he'd expected, though he couldn't help thinking Reeves' presence had more to do with it than Lucas's own part in their negotiations.

How convenient, he mused, that Reeves can be so charismatic when first recruiting others to his cause, and how unpleasant he turns once he's won it. It was as though charm could be turned on and off with the flick of a switch, the darkness he exuded made all the worse by seeing that brief glimmer of light.

Never mind everything else Reeves was capable of; the power to control the shadows cast by all things, the increase in strength brought on by a new moon rite... Everything paled in comparison to the more subtle, yet all the more insidious, power at his disposal.

Control.

In the end, it was that same talent that had won him so many victories, that same talent that had spared his life when a lesser being would have died by the firebird's hands. Lucas admired that power every bit as much as he hated—and feared—it.

There was no time for brooding, however. The longer he dithered, the more his chance at redemption slipped away. He had yet to win over any other allies to Reeves' cause, though not for lack of trying. His trek to the Nixian Village had seemed promising at first, though the bitter winds had raked what flesh he left exposed relentlessly. Not only had he managed to wander into the village under the guise of a neutral demon seeking asylum from the cold, he'd also managed to pick up tidbits of information here and there from the elven populace.

None speaking directly to him, of course. It had taken more skulking in doorways and the pretense of being absorbed in his mulled cider at the modest inn near the Community Hall to glean what little he had.

It seemed the village elders were in something of a huff as of late, carrying out private council meetings well into the night, sometimes even into the predawn hours. Word had it that one of their own had turned traitor, abandoning his sworn oath as a village elder—the same oath that bound him to the service of the Nixian people and their way of life—to pursue far darker ambitions.

The realization of what those ambitions might be made his lip curl in amusement even now, knowing all too well that it was Reeves' persuasive guile that had won the elf over. Ranos, the youngest of the village elders, and by far the most foolish. Did he really think his youthful ideals would win him power in the end? Moreover, did he really believe Reeves or Iris would give him what he wanted, once they had squeezed every last drop of usefulness from him?

What amusement Lucas felt had faded quickly however, strongly reminded of his own predicament. He was no fool. He knew, as long as he hadn't accomplished his end of the bargain in full, Reeves would keep him around for as long as necessary—or at least until Lucas fouled things up so badly that keeping him around would be more of a detriment than an asset.

Once I kill the girl, what will be left? he wondered. What will stop Reeves from ridding himself of me, once and for all? Perhaps he would still find some use for him yet, but Lucas wasn't in the habit of taking unnecessary risks. Especially with someone as cunning and ruthless as Reeves.

Still, he couldn't afford to do nothing. If he succeeded in his task, both in recruiting more entities to Reeves' side and killing the girl, he would just have to make himself scarce. Then again, he needed Reeves in order to find Gwilym. As far as he knew, Reeves and Iris were the only ones who had the means to track Chronos' Successor. They were the only ones who knew how to locate the Time Chamber, the pocket realm famed to be where Chronos had spent his final days as Timekeeper. The same place Gwilym resided in now, carrying out Chronos' will, hidden deep within the realm of Drevni Misteros.