They were arguing again.
When the two of them weren’t deep within the throes of lovemaking, then Adrian and Meredith were throwing insults. Veleria stared at the ceiling while she listened to Meredith shout at the homeowner. Some clattering sounds were heard thereafter.
“He certainly does love women that step all over him,” said Marrow beside her.
Two days into her stay the woman had appeared and occasionally offered her company. Her white pupils glowed in the darkness of the room, just as Veleria’s glittered gold. She wondered if their shared curiosities led them towards a kindred of sorts.
“Meredith wants me to return to Cromwell immediately, while Adrian doesn’t fully agree. He keeps trying to get me alone, I think.” Veleria told her.
Marrow glanced in her direction. The strange woman sat in the chair beside her bed with her knees bent. One bony, tattoo-laden arm held them close to her chest.
“She seems hesitant to speak with you properly. Likely, this is because she fully missed your eccentricities. She may feel embarrassed.”
“That’s dumb,” Veleria sighed.
“Ha, maybe.” Marrow grinned. “Allow me to tell you what she’s failing to, then, since she and I are children of the same goddess. Corvus is dead.”
Veleria’s face fell.
“Did I…?”
“No, although you did a number on their face. The sorceress Alk’Hath compelled them with the Judgment of Phos and then proceeded to have them killed.” Marrow shrugged. “The problem is that while compelled, Corvus may have divulged information concerning Caellach. One doesn’t technically need to have the ability to speak to communicate once compelled, I’m afraid.” She set her narrow chin in her palm. “My goddess, the Mother of Night, has expressed her concern regarding these matters, compelling the God of Many Faces to act alongside her. I doubt Cromwell would be happy about this.”
Veleria swung her legs over the side of the bed to face her.
“I never really believed in gods before,” she said. “If they’re so interested in me and Caellach, then how come they don’t just help us with the Korvach?”
Marrow moved her hand so that her pointer finger was held before her lips. The look she gave Veleria was entirely devious.
“They fear repercussion,” she replied. “In truth, there may be more to it than that. This creature that Cromwell bound Caellach here for…It may well be beyond the gods of this realm.”
At that, she turned towards the door, then back to Veleria with a vulpine grin before seeming to disappear. Veleria glanced towards the door herself, then, as Adrian knocked and then opened it.
Adrian looked around, somewhat confused, and shrugged in Veleria’s direction.
“Was there someone else in here?” He asked.
“No,” Veleria lied. “Why?”
“Just thought I heard the voice of someone I know.” He cracked his neck. “So, uh…You’ve been awake for how long?”
Veleria sighed, “long enough to know you and Meredith started shouting at each other after fucking.”
Adrian clicked his tongue. He walked into the room, then sat on the chair that Marrow previously occupied. She momentarily wondered if Marrow was still sitting there. Could she make herself incorporeal?
“Sorry about that,” said Adrian. “Not much has changed between us, I guess. We always do shit like that, although I feel like she’s more agitated lately.”
“Because of me?” Veleria cocked her head.
Adrian crossed his arms over his chest. The scars were visible to her even in the darkness of the room. His nose was also slightly crooked now. It looked strangely good on him.
“Yeah, because of you,” he told her. “It’s all bullshit to me.”
Alliances are important, Veleria reminded herself. She wanted to tell him he was acting stupid. Her very presence put them all in danger here, and it didn’t matter what Adrian thought. That was simple fact.
Yet, she agreed with Caellach regardless. There were more factors at play than just her, or Cromwell. The guild here had an almost incomprehensible amount of sway.
It was also aligned with the God of Many Faces, and with the Mother of Night. Two deities who seemingly wanted her to prevail. Adrian himself was the former’s chosen. That made him important.
“We can still stay in contact, you know.” Veleria said, knitting her fingers together in her lap. “I don’t want to put anyone in any danger, so maybe it would be best if I left for Ashvale soon.”
The look on Adrian’s face nearly broke her heart. He was devastated to hear this, and after a silent moment of staring down at the floor beside him, he stood up and approached Veleria. He leaned down into her.
“It never feels like I have enough time with you,” he told her. She could feel her chest growing hot. “I’m terrified that something will happen to you. Yeah, you can shrug off most damage, and you have a…Well, whatever you have in your head, but I just can’t stomach the thought that I could lose you.”
She didn’t pull away when his palm cupped her cheek. His nose touched hers.
“I spent half a year pretending that I was just delivering you where you needed to go. That you only mattered up until the moment we parted.” Following a brief shake of his head, his eyes met Veleria’s with a sorrowful intensity that she had never seen in him before. “Now we’re back where we started. You’re someone incredible, and I’m still just some fucking idiot who can’t get his shit together. The right thing to do is to let you go, but I just can’t.”
“I promise I’ll visit,” Veleria’s smile quivered. “When this is all over, I’ll—“
Preparing for the possibility of escalation, Veleria squeezed her eyes shut and waited, up until Adrian cursed under his breath. She felt his breath on her lips just as he pulled away from her.
“I can’t,” he mumbled. “Not with you.”
Then he was out the door. Veleria opened her eyes, only to see Marrow watching the man from the doorway. She held a tattooed hand over her heart.