Episode 217: Reenactment (Zero)

They stood in the room: Konrad, Indigo, and several guards. Zero prepared the spell. He could feel Indigo’s eyes, watching the spell as it took form.

She hadn’t been as close to Giana, her loyalty tending more toward Aadya, but the three formed some sort of mismatched group, from Indigo’s fierce and unrelenting, to Aadya’s soft, and finally to Giana’s warmth. They were threaded together by their poise. All three held themselves closed, when they needed to, yielded only to those they trusted.

It felt like an infringement on Giana, to see her in the privacy of her time with just Meldrick.

“You okay?” Indigo asked.

He kissed her, a quick light kiss. “I’m fine.” He wondered how Giana would feel, if others saw what happened behind the closed door of their room, on the darkest night of their marriage.

For him, it would have been the night Sawyer was born, when Mallory was crying and Sawyer was breech.

They almost lost Sawyer, between the screaming and crying. Indigo’s epidural had failed.

He hoped their night was worse than Meldrick and Giana’s, that Meldrick had done nothing wrong.

“We’ll have an answer soon,” Zero stated. “How are you?”

He reached for her back and massaged her.

“Tense,” Indigo replied. She leaned against him. He wrapped his arm around her.

“Alright?” Konrad asked.

Zero nodded and set the spell up.

Figures formed before them: Meldrick and Giana.

They watched as Meldrick paced in the room. They argued about something, Meldrick to Giana. She looked shocked and hurt, confused. Then, Meldrick left. Giana sat on the couch in silence until Meldrick came back out, his hair wet.

So far, his story aligned with the spell.

The two talked, Giana withheld and Meldrick distraught. Then, Giana’s face became more confused.

Konrad moved to see her face more, but in a moment Giana was gone, just as Meldrick had said.

Zero didn’t have to watch, and hoped Indigo would look away, but the room started as Meldrick began to choke – drown in the room. The elixir worked its way through him, and his body crumbled to the ground.

“Huh,” Indigo said.

The room watched Meldrick, motionless until he coughed water out.

“Someone powerful removed her,” Zero stated. “Sam and I had just redone the wards and added new ones.”

Konrad looked calm, unemotional.

“This shouldn’t have been possible,” Zero finished.

Konrad rubbed his beard. “Why her, is the question. She is not the person I would attack, if I wanted to cripple this palace.”

They watched as Meldrick left the room, and the spell faded into nothing.

“Maybe the aim was him, and they got the wrong person. We should secure Aadya,” Zero pressed. “And ensure she is secure.”

“What would be best? A team of you, Spence, Sam, who else?” Konrad asked.

Working with Sam had failed, or their spell had been undermined. No, he needed the strongest possible, the reason Delaney existed: five siblings.

“My brothers and Delaney,” Zero corrected. “Five siblings is better than Spence and Sam.”

“Alright.” Konrad moved toward the door, done with the apartment. “Talise first, then the others. She is at present the highest asset.”

“What do you want me to do?” Indigo asked.

“I’d like your help tracing Giana’s children,” Konrad requested.

There was still no clear answer on Giana’s fate: The elixir would prevent drowning from causing a permanent death.

“When I finish this, we’ll handle Elliot,” Zero promised. “You’ll be safe with Konrad, but if you want some spells on you, I can help.”

Indigo shook her head and leaned on her toes to kiss him. “Good luck.”

Fierce, but withholding. Part of him wanted to focus on Indigo and their son, but he knew he had time left. Time to protect everyone

Zero transported to Sylem and collected his brothers one by one. He sent them to prep the spells and headed to Delaney’s room.

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