Kraven laughed, the sharp sound ringing through the hall. It dialed to deep chuckles as he leaned and wrapped his arms around Isadora’s small fra, resting his chin on her shoulder.
Isadora tensed up by his action but remained still, pondering if she’d said sothing wrong.
"Maybe you should stop worrying about what she knows and doesn’t know. She made it clear you don’t know my intentions, which is true," he mused, deliberately taking a whiff of Isadora’s hair causing Nyssa’s fist to clench as she forced her eyes away.
"Isadora speaks wisely," Logi said, cutting through the tension. "This is about making a statent that the two of you can’t clearly see." He pointed to Rav and Nyssa. "Now can we stop arguing and continue this eting?"
Rav gulped as he kept his eyes on Kraven and Isadora—the realization of it finally slipping in. ’You said you hate him, Isadora, then why are you...’ He peeling his eyes away as he sat back down.
He suddenly felt heavy as the pressure caused his shoulders to drop. The way Kraven acted, even Isadora, it was almost as if they had been intimate.
’No,’ he thought, shocking his head. ’That’s not possible, that woman from the brothel didn’t survive.’
Isadora would have been a corpse if Kraven had dared touch her.
"What troubles you, Rav?" Logi asked amused.
"Nothing," he replied sternly.
"It’s interesting to see isn’t it?"
Rav dragged his gaze to the mischievous genius. "What?"
"Don’t be a dummy, Rav." Logi chuckled lightly. "It’s obvious."
Rav’s heart tugged at his words. His mind repeatedly told him Logi was making jest because only he knew it shouldn’t have been possible.
Logi leaned further to him. "I might just win our wager."
"Don’t get ahead of yourself!" Rav snapped.
Logi shrugged and raised his hands in surrender but the knowing smirk remained on his lips, which Rav wanted to rip off.
’Calm yourself, Raviel,’ he thought as his knuckles turned white from squeezing his fist too hard.
"Since all of you are done arguing insignificantly. I’d like to call an end to this eting with this..."
Their attention shifted back to the throne.
"I’ll eliminate the Serpents, and I’ll do it from the inside."
"A silent mission?" Ekko finally made his presence known by his question.
"Yes."
"But a silent mission would an a lesser number," Nyssa said with narrowed eyes. "How are we supposed to take down the Serpents with lesser numbers?"
"It would be my honor to carry this mission, master," Ekko declared. "I’ll make sure it’s swift and deserving."
"There is no need for that Ekko, I need you here," Kraven replied. "Because I intend to carry out this mission myself."
"You’re leaving again?" Nyssa asked heartbroken. They had spent five winters without him, yet he chose to leave again?
They all understood that he preferred to rule in the shadows and do all their dirty work. They were the ruling council, the pillars holding this place together and Kraven was the shadow that shrouds this place.
"Yes... and Isadora will accompany ."
Isadora froze at his declaration and turned to him with wide eyes. "What?"
"Isadora is still a newly crowned warrior and—"
"Logi will co with too." Kraven cut Nyssa off before she could finish.
"?" Logi asked, surprised. He did not think that far ahead. He had expected Ekko to be the third person to accompany him.
"Yes. What say you, Tinker? Care to join on my mission?"
Logi’s green eyes lit up like a child having his first toy. "The seven gods know the answer is yes!"
"Then it’s settled then, all I need is one winter to crush the Serpents."
Realization struck Rav at how long Kraven intended to be away. ’Did Logi see this coming? Did he know Kraven would take Isadora on his mission to crush the Serpents?’ The re thought of it caused a shiver down his spine.
Logi winked at Rav confirming his thoughts.
Rav teeth clenched. ’He knew! He knew Kraven would use one winter for this mission, and he knew he’d take Isadora too. Are the odds not in my favor?’ He turned back to the throne. ’A winter alone with Kraven.’ He gulped.
’I shouldn’t have made that wager... I was staked out to lose. Fucking Logi!’
"That is all, you may now leave," Kraven dismissed.
They rose to their feet and walked to the door. Ekko had already mysteriously vanished.
Nyssa still had an angry expression plastered on her face as she stord away, her heels echoing sharply through the hall.
Logi whistled as the door slamd shut behind him, he strode the corridor but suddenly his tone was cut off when Rav grabbed him by the collar and slamd him against the wall.
"Alda! What’s wrong with you?!"
"You knew!" Rav seethed to his face, as all the stored anger and pain he had buried unleashed.
It broke faster than he could control, the sight of Isadora in Kraven’s arms only made him burn more.
"Ease yourself, Rav, you’re shaking," Logi said calmly, noticing Rav’s hands gripping his collar shook profusely, like he couldn’t control it.
"You knew," he said again.
"I guessed."
"YOU KNEW!"
Logi growled as he pushed Rav off him. "So what?!" he seethed right back at him.
"It doesn’t change anything. A few words with Ekko made understand that Kraven holds a grudge against the Serpents for selling Isadora, and I know he wants to handle it himself!"
Rav’s breathing was ragged and unstable, the torches in the corridor flapping as his aura got hotter.
"It wasn’t hard to guess the rest." Logi pointed to his brain. "I’m a child of Visindi."
"The wager was a trick!" Rav barked.
It was a useless gamble because Logi had already predicted this, he was only led on toward a losing battle.
He played right through Logi’s fingers.
Logi scoffed. "Oh, co on! Is that really why you’re angry? Or are you jealous?!"
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