Bones of Salt

Roman

Roman tried not to think too much about Minx Morris.

The truth was, he didn't really know how to react to the news.

There were too many factors. Had Minx gone so crazy, beyond saving, only recently? If he had always been a bad guy, why couldn't Roman see it when the man was raising him, or giving him lessons about his powers?

There were only a handful of people Roman could trust, but he always thought he'd been in the right to pick some over others.

There was some guilt in it, too. With Roman, there was always some guilt.

He should have used his powers to figure out the possible outcome of Minx' actions. He should have fought harder when the tutor had pushed him out of his mind.

He shouldn't have taken at face value Minx' desire to hide his Skill from those who might know.

"It's okay if it takes a while to process it," Jonathan told him. "You've known him the longest."

"And Atticus means to fight him," Roman said. His throat was dry. Atticus was brave. Atticus was also dumb. Nobody else aside from Roman knew how much – he'd never told anyone.

"Don't worry," Cypress said. "I doubt he's really going to. But, first of all, we have to think of our well-being. How do we get out of this alive?"

"So, you don't mean to stay and fight?" Matias asked, shocked. "We could. We are Blood Drinkers, and we are fire-proof."

"You misunderstand me," Cypress looked very offended. "There is nothing I love more than the adrenaline rush of fighting for a good cause. But I told you that Minx said he'd chosen this team for a reason. He's going to target us."

"Yes," Jonathan said. "But he also doesn't want us to die, does he? Kind of ruins all his plans. So maybe the fact that he picked us, that's to our advantage."

"I'll be needed here," Roman said matter-of-factly.

"Don't act in a rush," Jonathan scolded him. "You're not even fire-proof."

"I have magic," Roman tried not to let his frustration show. "And I didn't mean that I wanted to fight. I have to make sure nothing happens to the spirits of the departed. The last thing I need, if the training grounds still stand after tonight, is to spend the remaining of my training plagued by the Apparitions of one of the O'Acneh siblings."

"Huckleberry is not so bad," Cypress said. "I mean, he's the youngest, so he's hardly any bother, and I taught him to play chess..."

"I'd rather not have to play chess with him until he feels appeased," Roman played with one of his knives. It often helped him to calm down.

"Where is Mira?" Matias suddenly asked. Roman could understand why – it was easy to lose all hope in those who'd trained them, but Mira was still a reliable adult who fought on their side. They needed her.

"She'll come back soon," Roman said. "I met her before, and she told me she had to tell other Blood Drinkers what happened. Back then, I still didn't know what had happened, but now I understand. I think she's coming back with allies."

"Speaking of the Devil," Mira smiled. "Here I am."

"Please let us fight," Cypress said.

"I'll take you there," Mira said. "We have to take a longer route, to avoid being seen by our enemies."

Roman wondered why she was alone, but he tried not to think about it. Of course, the other Blood Drinkers were already fighting.

Soon, Roman saw that Mira was leading them through a secret passage. It made him feel a bit lost, and he realized he would feel better if he held someone's hand, especially since he was too tall for the small tunnel, and he was having a hard job trying to fit in.