The Butterfly Effect

Priesty gave a kind of smile that proved Alexei was going to hate every single word that came out of his mouth. Well, hate it more than usual. It wasn't like Priesty had the habit of saying anything good.

"Congratulations on the successful mission, you two," he mused. He took all of the information Rosie had written down and skimmed through it. "Yes, this ought to be enough. For one of them, anyway. There's still plenty to be desired."

"Yeah, and we could've gotten more, if you hadn't called us back," Rosie pointed out. "What's so important that I couldn't just send this to you?"

"Oh, nothing, really. I just wanted to touch up on the severity of the situation at hand."

Alexei had learned that that meant nothing good. It was a sign that Priesty was about to say something he knew they'd have a harder time doing. That's something he liked doing—phrasing everything like what they did was the only right decision. And, well, Alexei so often "believed" it, didn't he? What was the point of stopping something that did what Priesty wanted it to?

Still, he didn't say anything. A sense of dread washed over him, but he willed himself to only listen. He'd already been keeping his eyes on the desk between them.

Rosie, on the other hand, let out a long sigh. "What are you planning?"

Priesty shrugged. "Only for justice to reach those who need it most. Including one particular individual who might have a deeper connection to these targets, if sources are to be believed… an individual whose crimes are barely being paid for as it is."

"What do you need from us?" Alexei asked the question quick enough that he barely processed it. He knew what Priesty was saying, and it was much worse than just something they weren't going to want to do.

This really was a reminder on the "severity of the situation." A show of power, a not-so-gentle tease as to what could happen if they don't follow through. There was no point in saying it directly; they all understood that, in one way or another, it meant that Milo was involved.

And somehow, Alexei couldn't tell which was worse: the knowledge that Milo could be found out if they weren't careful, or the fear that they were going to have to confront each other. It almost felt better to say that he'd do everything he could to avoid Alexei, as much as it hurt to think about.

A devilish smile proved that Priesty had been predicting this reaction. In fact, it probably wasn't too far from the truth to say he explicitly wanted to create it. "I'm afraid, if this isn't done in a timely manner, a certain someone's going to have to be caught, tried, and executed."

"Yeah, I get that already. But what is it that you want?"

"It has come to my attention that one Feodor Ruslan has been implicated in heretical acts. His execution is near."

No, was what Alexei wished he only had the bravery to say out loud, No, I'm not going to do it. You didn't see it. You don't realize it. He has a family, a little boy. And the lie he never believed for a second, You can't make me.

He tried to keep his expression neutral but, for better or worse, the two others in the room knew better than that. Priesty leaned back in his chair with a relaxed grin. Rosie, meanwhile, actually came to Alexei's rescue. As much as she could, anyway.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"You need information first," she pointed out. "You can't do anything without some kind of evidence."

"Who's to say I don't have some already?" Priesty responded. "I could have an entire library of evidence, for all you know."

"If you did, you wouldn't have waited this long."

"You're hardly any fun, Roselyn."

"Someone's got to have the vaguest sense of a moral compass around here. I know it's far from accurate, but I'd like to at least pretend like it can point as far north as possible."

He gave a lazy hand wave. "Fine, get more information if you want it. All I need is him. If it'll save how long you spend complaining, then I suppose I can stand the slightly longer wait."

"You're going to wait however damn long I feel like making you," she hissed back. "And I'm suddenly in a much less generous mood when it comes with putting up with you, so you might want to be careful."

"You're the one who should be watching your back. You might not have anything to lose, but poor little Alexei certainly does. As his mentor, I'm sure you only want what's best for him. And that means keeping your mouth shut, before I get tired of dealing with you."

Even that seemed to only deter her for a moment. "Keep him out of this."

"I'm sorry, who's in charge of who? I believe you ought to start minding your place here. One wrong word and you might just find yourself confronting your sins in front of Vriuh." He let out a malicious chuckle. "I wonder what she'd have to say about all of this, hmm?"

Rosie was seconds away from a full-blown confrontation; as soon as Alexei realized that, he took her arm and shook his head. He hoped he was able to convey to her, This isn't worth it. We need to just go.

She seemed to understand. She turned and started to leave, only sparing a single look over her shoulder to Priesty as she grumbled, "Bastard."

His chuckle could be heard up until she slammed the door behind her and Alexei. He simply followed her, expecting some kind of long ramble as they collected what they'd need for the trip. She usually had a lot to say about it—he figured this would be no exception, given what they were just tasked to do. All the while, he'd just pretend to listen, while pushing aside all of his apprehensions and pretending like everything was okay. This time, it was trying to convince himself that perhaps what he'd find would clear his conscience; that, somehow, Feodor would be involved in something truly despicable, that would warrant his execution. It was a stupid hope.

In all his career, only a handful of people really deserved what happened to them.

Even after they returned to the "garrison"—he hated everything he could call it, but that made it sound the best—Rosie still hadn't said anything.

Vaguely understanding the possible reason, Alexei hypocritally stated, "Don't let what he said get to you."

"He needs to learn to keep his damn mouth shut and leave her out of this," was the grumble he got in response. "He never even met her. He doesn't get to say anything…"

"You're the one always telling me I'll feel better if I talk about it," he mumbled. "It might not have ever worked on me, but… there's got to be some reasoning behind it."

As she walked past, she gave a dark glare to pretty much everyone who might've tried to start a conversation with her. It was slightly more intimidating than her usual expression—and that made all the difference in showing she wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone else. But she was willing to talk to Alexei.

Even if it… was more of idle musing than any real discussion of her thoughts. "You know, I think she would've liked you. Probably just as much as she'd hate to see where I am now. But… she talked a lot about fate, too. How some things were just meant to happen. And as much as I wish she were here… if she was, then you'd be on your own here. She wouldn't have wanted you to be alone."