"So, where's the body?" Solomon clapped lightly like a man who expected his every wish to be carried out.
"There's no body." Ivo said through gritted teeth, forcing himself to et Solomon's gaze, even if the anger that was threatening to burst out of him made it difficult.
He knew Solomon wasn't the cause of his troubles but it was much easier to find soone to be angry at than to wallow in frustration. Except Solomon wasn't really soone he should be getting angry at.
"Yuri escaped." He said through clenched teeth, barely able to keep his voice calm. "She's still alive. She's out there, okay?"
"Oh." Solomon blinked in surprise. "That's…," his expression morphed into amusent, "exactly what I expected."
Ivo glared at the man. "Exactly what you expected? Yuri's out there, planning God knows what and that's what you expected?"
"Of course it is." Solomon scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. "I never expected you two jolly friends to be able to kill Yuri imdiately or not without one of you dying, you know. She's not the strongest fifth ringed vampire in the city, that's Vladimir, but she's the most experienced. Even I would choose my battles against her very well."
"But that is none of my concern." Solomon put his hands in his pockets, his voice dripping with condescension. "You made a deal with , Ivo. I'm not particularly interested in your internal struggles. My job is to keep any outside forces, including myself, from interfering in Southside. But right now, it's ti for my paynt."
Ivo kept his expression blank. This was the point where things would go wrong. The sword hanging over his head might decide to fall or to wait. Either way, he could only watch as Solomon kept speaking.
"I'm getting two things from you. The Ascension Well and Ezra Matten. As for the well, my n are moving it as we speak. It'll be gone in a few hours."
Ivo fought the urge to swallow. He'd never seen the consequences of breaking a blood oath but he'd heard… things about those who broke it.
He'd known this day was coming but the speed at which Solomon was moving was unnerving. The Ascension Well was gone. There was no turning back. The real problem now was Ezra. And Solomon's reaction.
"All that is left for to have is Ezra." Solomon continued, his eyes narrowing as he stepped closer to Ivo. "Where is he?"
Ivo hesitated. He hadn't seen Ezra in days. He had vanished without a trace with his coven imdiately after he'd sent out the call for the coup, which left him with no real answers to offer Solomon. He had no idea where Ezra had gone or what his plans were.
"Ezra has vanished." Ivo finally said, his voice low. "Along with his coven. Do you by any chance know where he is?"
"Of course, he's vanished." Solomon chuckled. "Pull my other foot, you jokester. Where's Ezra Matten?"
"He's really gone, okay?"
Solomon paused in confusion before his eyes slowly widened, disbelief and fury crossing his face. "Vanished?" He asked, his voice low. "Vanished?!" His voice was louder this ti. "Do you take for a fool, Ivo?"
Ivo had nothing to say to that, standing and staring into Solomon's eyes. His silence was taken in the way it had been intended. He had been speaking the truth.
"No!" Solomon roared, his anger erupting like a storm. He slamd his fist into the nearest wall, his strength causing it to crack under the force.
"You think you can cheat out of my prize, Ivo? You think you can?!" Solomon's voice was a dangerous growl now, his red eyes spinning wildly in his eyes. "Ezra Matten is the one thing I wanted. The one thing that kept from accepting the oath as broken? And now you tell he's gone?"
Ivo didn't flinch, even though every fiber of his being scread at him to defend himself. There was no use. Solomon's fury would run its course, and all Ivo could do was endure it. The alternative was a broken oath, which he'd suffer for.
"Produce Ezra Matten," Solomon demanded, his voice echoing off the walls, "or there will be consequences. Consequences you will not be able to afford paying!"
Solomon breathed heavily, his vitality rolling off him. His threat hung heavily in the air, the room almost suffocating with the weight of it. The sword of Damocles haven't dropped yet but it was sharper than ever.
Ivo remained silent, his expression stony as Solomon's red irises bore into him. He had no answer to give, no solution that would pacify the storm raging in front of him. All he could do was wait it out.
Solomon's gaze lingered on Ivo, searching for any sign of defiance, but all he found was silence. Ivo wouldn't give him any reason to confirm the oath as broken. With one last look of disgust, Solomon turned and stord out of the room, the door slamming shut behind him.
With his departure, the tension in the room didn't dissipate. If anything, it felt heavier now, like the walls themselves were closing in on Ivo. His jaw tightened, and his hands curled into fists at his sides.
And then, in the stillness, in the aftermath of Solomon's fury, Ivo let loose a scream of his own. A scream of frustration, of rage, of helplessness. He slamd his fists into the table, destroying it and sending papers flying. He picked up a chair and hurled it at the wall, the sound of the destruction doing nothing to calm him.
He scread once more into the air. Amara rushed into the room, grabbing and holding him in a hug. She whispered into his ears trying to calm him but he could hear nothing of what she said. His mind was a lting pot of anger, regret, and fear.
Yuri was alive.
Ezra was gone.
Solomon's patience was thin.
And now, more than ever, Ivo felt the weight of his decisions pressing down on him.
He'd made his bed. Now, he must lie in it.
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