53 Spy Game (1/2)

Before the Foolhardies could pack up and walk away from this incredibly good hiding spot that took hours of debate between me, Ty, and Arah to finally select after looking over detailed scouting reports Thom's crew provided us with, we needed to tie up loose ends—literally.

Edo brought the Mccord twins to me so that I could give them a breakdown of their options. Now, just to refresh everyone's memory, Connor and Collin Mccord were the two guys Luca and I knocked out in our epic tag team fight. Apparently they were the grandsons of Starlight City's Mayor. So getting them on my side could possibly get me connected with their grandad in the near future, and you'll never know when you might need a favor from the mayor.

”Here's the deal, guys,” I said in a tone I hoped emulated Great General Darah a little. ”Unlike our other captives, you guys are viseres so we can't hold you for more than a night...”

I let that last word hang ominously over their heads for a few seconds to see how they would react. Of course, I wasn't planning on killing them like I hinted at but they didn't know that.

The brothers gave each other nervous and meaningful looks. One of them was sweating more than the other. I believe he was Collin. I couldn't tell as they were both carbon copies of each other down to the undershirts beneath their padded vests.

”Connor—”

”Shut up, Collin,” Connor interrupted whatever Collin wanted to say. He gave his brother a stern look. ”You should know better... these fools can't help us.”

Although he was right in calling us fools, I resented the way he said it. To show off my authority, I raised a finger, and the giant half-ogre behind me pulled out his glaive and held it aloft in a threatening manner just like we'd practiced earlier.

Edo was very good at intimidating people. This was apparent in the wide-eyed nervous stares the twins gave him. Connor was visibly pulling away from my First Sergeant. I could smell the fear coming off him in waves.

”As I said, you two and the other five viseres are useless to us if we can't hold you... but we can't cut you loose or allow you to wink out at dawn so... I'm at loss guys...” I took turns gazing into each of their faces. Then I pointed a thumb back at Edo. ”My sergeant thinks we should kill you and get it over with—”

”Dude, come on... we're all humans here, man,” Connor pleaded. ”It's just a game...”

Just a game. That was Connor's defense for coming to the Fayne every night and fighting as a soldier. It was all a game to him. Unfortunately, I knew he wasn't the only visere that felt this way. There were even several Foolhardies who thought like this. It pissed me off whenever I heard it because our lives, mine and Luca's and my mom's, the tragedy we lived through wasn't a game to us. Luca's time as a slave and my mom's condition, these were real.

Sadly, before I could smack Connor in the face for his verbal snafu, his brother smacked the back of his head for me. Whether or not Collin saw the murderous look on my eye or, like me, was more sensitive to his own circumstance, I wasn't sure. He was at least aware his brother said something stupid. I guess that meant he was the sensible one.

After Connor disciplined his brother, he turned his face back to me and said, ”Look... we can't help you... and it's not like we don't want to... we just can't.”

Connor's eyes begged for understanding like there was something he wanted to say but couldn't. It was the same look my mother gave me when I interrogated her in her hospital room that night I learned the truth.

It was Aura, who was sitting beside me on my wooden log, who answered the unanswered question in my head.

”They must be under a Silence Curse ,” she guessed.

I raised an eyebrow at her. ”Care to explain for, um, Edo's benefit?”

My back felt hot like someone was burning two holes in me with a murderous stare that I was certain Edo was currently sending me for using him like that. Not that he knew any better than me when it came to magic. We were both warriors, after all. But, I couldn't let the Mccord twins think that I didn't know things. They needed to perceive me as all-knowing if I was going to get them to turn on their current employers.

Aura gave Edo a sympathetic smile before explaining, ”There are plenty of varieties, but essentially, a silence curse prevents the cursed one from releasing information the spellcaster doesn't want them to divulge to anyone...”

”Like secrets...” I whispered.

Aura nodded. ”Yes.”

I glanced over to the twins who were also looking at Aura. But while Collin was gazing at her with a wary expression, Connor just looked smitten. I laughed inwardly at seeing him give Aura goo-goo eyes.

Join the club , I thought.

”Can this curse be dispelled?” I asked Aura.

”It would be dangerous... but I do know a way we can overwrite the curse,” she answered.

”Well? Don't keep me in suspense, partner,” I said. I emphasized the word partner hoping the twins would be impressed with the Foolhardies for having such a beautiful creature on our roster. ”Do we hold a seance? Exorcism? Blood magic?”

My playful manner made Aura smile, and showing off her pearly whites had an effect on the twins. Even Collin couldn't help but be dazzled. Aura's beauty was such a good recruitment tool.

”A contract to overwrite the previous one,” Aura answered.

The fingers of both my hands linked together as I placed them under my chin. ”Is that even possible? Didn't you say we had to kill Azuma's contractor to set him free?”

Aura looked down. Her brow creased.

”Yes, that is true for Azuma,” she said after a moment's hesitation. ”He'd be too weak to survive it...” Aura glanced over at Connor and Collin. ”But these two are young and healthy... they might be able to endure the backlash of an overwrite... It's been done before...”

”What do you think, Varda?” I asked the dwarf standing behind Aura. ”You think it's doable?”

”Well...” Varda crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes narrowed like she was really thinking hard. ”It's happened before... I guess... but most of the time...” she glanced over at the twins. Then she sent her gaze on my expectant face. ”well... things don't turn out well for the contractee.”

”How bad?” I asked.

”Um... they go crazy,” Varda finished ominously.

”No!” Collin snapped. ”You can't make us go through that!”

”Y-yeah! Our grandpa's the mayor of Starlight!” Connor pointed his bound hands at me like he was pleading and not accusing. ”H-he'll sue you!”