The sun shone merrily above, already at its midday peak. The sky around it was so blue it ached, dotted with fluffy clouds like cotton balls.
It was so picturesque Mirage almost wanted to scream. Indeed, just a few minutes ago he'd been shouting at the top of his lungs along with the other arguing crew members – only stopping when Jin started wailing his head off.
Now a brittle silence blanketed the deck. Lodo held Jin tight to his chest, though the boy was still trembling and sniffling. Everybody else was doing their best to avoid looking at each other; in particular, Guntar had pointedly turned his back to Mirage and Victor.
The sight of the sulking chicken gave Mirage a tiny bit of smug satisfaction, but it didn't last long beneath the choking atmosphere. Despite himself, his eyes drifted to the sky, though there was nothing to see besides the endless blue.
It didn't matter, he told himself. The homunculus knight had made his choice. An utterly ridiculous, short-sighted choice, but why expect better from such a simpleton? When his gaze landed on Victor – or rather, the bandages on his face – a savage jolt of vindication shot through him. Yes, it was all for the better Sir Zenith had left.
Still, he would never have expected the knight's petty jealousy outweighed even his devotion to his liege. Not so perfect after all, Mirage supposed.
When Victor's purple flames flickered across their contract, Mirage started. Before he could figure out what it meant, Victor cleared his throat. "Prince Darian."
Guntar stiffened, raising his tail feathers. Darian, who had been glaring at the floor with her arms folded, cast Victor a sidelong glance. "What is it?"
Her voice was strained, simmering with barely contained rage, and that raised Mirage's hackles. She might have a right to it, but he'd be damned if she unloaded her ire on Victor.
"If...perhaps...." Victor swallowed, his throat convulsing. Concern prickling inside him, Mirage moved closer to his wizard.
Victor didn't seem to notice; instead, he kept on talking. "If you'd like...we could leave. You've already helped us more than enough."
"What?" Mirage blurted, aghast.
And he wasn't the only one. Darian whirled around, her eyes huge. "What are you saying?"
"I never...wanted to cause trouble," Victor said, slow and deliberate. "If our presence here is harmful, then...."
Mirage got ready to protest, only for Darian to beat him to the punch. "Don't be absurd," she snapped. "You've done nothing wrong."
Victor wouldn't be dissuaded. "Because of us – "
"You had nothing to do with it. Sir Zenith made his own decision, foolish as it might be. Nothing else has changed. Your help will still be invaluable in our efforts against the Infernal Legion."
Never had Mirage imagined he'd see the day when he agreed with Prince Darian over Victor, but there was a first time for everything. "That's right," he said swiftly, snatching Victor's arm. "So enough of that, will you?"
Victor blinked as if noticing Mirage for the first time, which annoyed him a little. Before he could express it, Darian clapped her hands and marched forward.
"Amaro, keep us on our path. We're still due for our rendezvous for the pirates."
Amaro jolted as if he hadn't expected Darian to address him. For a moment, he hesitated, then jerked his head in a nod. "Got it, Prince."
"Everyone else, back to business," Darian barked. "We've got preparations to make."
She held her head high, her tone brisk, but Mirage didn't miss the edge to her voice, the stiff set to her shoulders. There was no way she had already gotten over her knight's betrayal – but Mirage supposed it was none of his business.
Instead he turned to Victor, whose gaze had become distant. "Er, so...do you want to talk to your brother...?"
After all, the boy had run off in a huff earlier. No doubt Victor was worried about him.
Victor's eye widened, alarm searing across their contract. Perhaps he hadn't expected Mirage to care about Theo's wellbeing, and the truth was Mirage didn't. But when it came to Victor....
"It's fine," Victor said quietly. "Sam already went after him. She can...do more than me."
Not too long ago, Victor would have never been able to confess such a thing. For some strange reason, it relieved Mirage. Without thinking, he slid his hand down Victor's arm and wrapped his fingers around his wizard's.
Victor stiffened, but only for a moment. When his fingers squeezed back, tight and secure, Mirage found he could draw his first full breath in a while.
~*~
Nevy had gone to check on the engine, only to find Theo curled up beneath it. No matter how much she asked him to move, he didn't budge an inch. Almost like he'd fallen asleep, and maybe he had. With no other options, Nevy had decided to leave him be.
Now she was in her workshop alongside Kress. Her fingers fiddled with Zenith's phone, connecting and disconnecting wires, but her heart wasn't into the work.
"Nevs?" Kress's voice startled her out of her thoughts. She snapped her head up to see the first mate across the table. Even seated, she had to keep her head down to avoid bumping the various components dangling from the ceiling. "You okay?"
"Ah." Nevy dropped the wire she'd been holding. "I'm fine. I have this."
She indicated the half-empty potion bottle on the table, which Cay had given her. Meant to calm her nerves, she supposed it was working, except she still couldn't stop thinking about unnecessary things.
Kress sighed. "That's not what I mean, y'know. It's fine to be upset."
"I...." Nevy stared at the phone's blank screen. "I suppose I was wondering if I should have noticed something sooner. I'm the one who repairs Sir Zenith's systems, after all. If anything was off balance...."
"Beating yourself up won't help," Kress said gently. "And I hate to say it, but this might lie outside your area of expertise. I don't think anything's wrong with his systems. It's what's in his heart, y'know? You couldn't have possibly known."
"Perhaps I should have tried," Nevy murmured. "I just...I'm no good at this sort of thing. Understanding what other people are thinking. Maybe if I were...."
"Maybe can't change anything." Kress reached across the table, wrapping her large hand around both of Nevy's. "We gotta focus on the here and now, right? The things we can do."
Her eyes glittered, almost as warm as her skin against Nevy's. All nephilim felt warm compared to golems, but nobody's touch could comfort her quite as much as Kress's.
Shy, hesitant, she nodded. It was irrational, but when Kress's smile widened, she had to admit this made for more effective a medicine than Cay's potion.
~*~
"Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with that shithead? I swear when I find him, I'm gonna kick his ass to hell and back!" Ryan ranted, swinging his fists as if fighting an imaginary Zenith here and now.
"Ryan," Fia sighed. "I don't think this is helping...."
"Well, you got any better ideas? That jerk needs to learn a lesson he'll never forget!"
"I know you're worried for Theo, but – "
"Say what?" Ryan yelled, banging on the table. "Who gives a shit about that emo loser? This is a matter of principle. A guy can't just up and abandon his crew like that!"
Across the mess hall, Meg watched them with a helpless smile. Good to see Ryan was the same as ever.
But she couldn't say the same for Sir Zenith. How could he have changed so much without her noticing?
Or maybe he hadn't changed. Maybe he had only revealed his true self, and Meg had never even suspected.
What did she know about Zenith? Even after fighting alongside him all this time, Meg had to admit the answer was far less than she would have liked. The realization left a bitter taste in her mouth, one even Lodo's freshly brewed tea couldn't displace.
All this time, she had taken Zenith's presence for granted. Darian's silent, stoic guardian. A bit of a bore, really, but loyal and dependable in battle. But of course there was more to him; all people had layers beneath the surface. Why hadn't Meg bothered learning about his?
When Lodo's Levia drifted across their contract, gentle as a spring breeze, Meg looked up. Her familiar gazed at her across the table, wearing a sad smile. "Lady Meg, you haven't touched your tea. Is the taste not to your liking?"
"Of course not, Lodo," Meg said quickly. "I just...I can't help thinking about...you know."
"Ah." Lodo breathed in sharply. "I wish I could say I had some insight as a fellow familiar, but I'm afraid I'm as lost as you are."
"I know." Sighing, Meg rubbed her forehead. "I always knew he hated demons, but not to this extent...and I thought his loyalty to Darian outweighed everything."
"It did seem...he and young master Theo had a fight earlier this morning," Lodo ventured.
"Do you think that's why...?"
Lodo gave a slight shake of his head. "Such pettiness seems entirely beyond Sir Zenith. And speaking only for myself, I could never imagine abandoning my wizard for any reason."
His voice hardened, acquiring a fierce edge Meg seldom heard from the affable werecat. It reassured her, but at the same time deepened her discontentment. After all, she had spent all this time believing Zenith was a familiar like Lodo, just as devoted to his wizard.
If that had never been true, what else could she believe?