Solivagant

Interlude - Regret

I don't want to be like you.

Rivas slowed to a halt at the end of the hallway, placing his palms against the wall and leaning against it. Even with the boy out of sight, he could feel Asher's fear. He had for the last week, whenever he met the boy's eyes or healed his wounds or even spoke to him. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, Asher's terror had always hung over him like a cloud.

A murderer.

Baring his teeth, Rivas lifted a hand and slammed it back into the wall. Pain jarred through his arm at the impact, fresh but not nearly enough. He knew what manipulation was; he'd experienced it far too many times to not. And he did not appreciate it, even if it seemed that the boy had spoken out of anger and not intent.

A slave.

"Idiot," Rivas hissed, dragging his fingers across the stone until he felt it break through his skin. "Idiot." He'd let his guard down too much, too easily. And now he couldn't get the boy's words out of his head.

And what the hell had he just said? I'll take care of it. Take care of what? Laura? Whatever excuses Soren used, the girl held doubts—she always had, and had been either brave or stupid enough to let Rivas see that. And he turned a blind eye, because she was right. No. He wouldn't betray her, just as she hadn't betrayed his passivity. He would not tell Soren anything of this.

Rivas glanced over his shoulder, briefly touching the magic to ensure that the girl wasn't hiding nearby. She'd made a habit of being in places she shouldn't have been, listening to conversations she was not supposed to. But it seemed that this time, she really had left. He could sense nobody, excepting Asher's feeble aura down the hall. It was dim and incomplete, as it always was when the boy was blocked from his magic.

Do what Soren says or die, right?

The old, heavy ache spread through Rivas' chest, as if his blood was thickening. He cursed under his breath, letting the magic slide from his grasp. That was the choice he had made, though he didn't realize at first.

Ka evenda. Rivas smothered a bitter laugh. The loss. He'd seen it in himself, Kain, all the other children Soren had taken. One after the other, they'd given up. They'd survived.

I'd rather be tortured every day than allow that to happen to me.

"Brave words," Rivas whispered, allowing his voice to drown out Asher's. His heart twisted. No matter how stubborn he was, the boy was still young and afraid. Rivas had cracked his spirit; Kain had shattered it. Sooner or later, Soren would destroy the rest. And until then, Rivas would have to deal with the sound of Asher's screams.

He closed his eyes. I'll take care of it.

<><><>

This started as a simple oneshot, but it has now become a sort of interlude chapter. Blame SpruceWolf for not stopping me. 

This is my first time doing something like this (hence this author's notes), so I am open to any thoughts or suggestions for incorporating this in the second draft!

P.S. Sorry for posting this out of order. Hopefully it didn't send any confusing notifications?

Cheers!

- Dreams