Friya and Quylla were the kind of people the Master was sick and tired of seeing die while the mediocre thrived.
“I know, right?” Quylla inwardly clenched her fists, thinking that Vastor had bought her lie and complimenting herself for a job well done. “I just want to be clear, I haven’t come here to ask your help, Professor, only your advice.
“Unlike, me, you are not an Awakened and this is a family matter. I don’t want you to risk your life or involve the Kingdom in the affairs of the Ernas. Do I have your word?”
“You do.” He nodded, moved by her thoughtfulness.
‘She came to me instead of Lith and despite her predicament, Quylla is trying to protect me. If only she knew…’ He thought.
“Here is my question: should I forgive my parents and help them or let them lie in the bed of their own making? I love my parents, but this is the second time they have betrayed my trust and gone behind my back.
“They made an egotistical choice despite knowing the risks. I feel angry, deceived, and I’m pregnant, for the gods’ sake! On the one hand, they are my parents and I don’t want to abandon them. On the other hand, this is not only about me.
“It’s also about my children. I don’t want to put them into danger and I’m not only talking about the possibility of a fight. I’m also asking you how can I trust such unreliable parents to be good grandparents?
“What if my twins get involved in their schemes as well? Should I walk away or what?” Quylla burst into tears, the hormones ravaging her nerves no less than the fear of losing a single member of her beloved family.
“There, there, dear.” Vastor gave her a side hug and a handkerchief to blow her nose.
He waited for her to calm down a bit, offering her a relaxing camomile tea before answering her questions. Remaining detached wasn’t as easy as it seemed because he was actually involved in that mess.
Even worse, Quylla’s situation was no different from what Zinya would go through were Vastor to come clean with her and reveal the scope of his actions as the Master.
‘Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.’ He thought. ‘I can use this conversation as a mock-up for Zyn’s. I can be completely honest since this doesn’t involve me and I can get a glimpse of how Zyn might react through Quylla.’
It was a good idea. Also, it was exactly what Jirni had planned.
She had promised to make no attempt to manipulate Quylla, but Jirni had no qualms about using her daughter to manipulate Vastor. She knew that with Lith off the table, Quylla would seek the advice of the closest mentor figure she had.
She might have gone to Faluel, but Jirni deemed it unlikely. The Hydra held Friya’s fate in her hands and had a deal with Quylla that granted Faluel access to Quylla’s magical research.
As far as Quylla knew, Vastor had nothing at stake and would give her an unbiased opinion whereas Faluel might not want to put two of her assets at risk.
On top of that, while Friya was trying to get used to the idea of becoming a Harbinger, Quylla was still looking for a loophole in the Awakened laws that would allow her sister to rescind the pact with the Hydra safely.
“Look, Quylla, I admit that seen from your point of view, the situation is bad and your parents’ actions are questionable at best. I’m not going to change your mind about that or find excuses for their poor behavior.
“Yet as a flawed parent, allow me to ask you a few questions.” Vastor said after pondering for a while. “Your mother lied to you by omission, that’s a fact, but did she do it to gain something at your expense?”
“No” She replied.
“Did Jirni go behind your back to hurt you or because she didn’t trust your judgment?” The Master asked.
“Again, no. She took personal choices that she knew I would disapprove but that would affect me in a positive way.” Quylla lowered her gaze, sighing. “I was supposed to get a healthy baby sister and have more time with my parents.
“Gods-dammit! Awakening wasn’t supposed to cause problems to anyone. This mess is just bad luck born out of the bullheadedness of some Awakened pricks!”
‘Exactly as I did as the Master.’ Vastor inwardly nodded. ‘I’ve done many wrong things but for the right reasons. I’ve never meant to hurt Zin. It’s just that you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.’
“Using your own words, Jirni made a personal choice and she’s got in trouble for it only because someone thinks they know better.” He actually said and Quylla nodded for him to continue.
“How would you feel if you were to abandon your parents in their moment of need and they ended up getting hurt, or worse, dead?”
“I…” Quylla was about to answer in anger but she stopped to picture the scene in her head.
Jirni was dead and Orion lay lifeless by her side. Quylla could easily imagine his wrath at Jirni’s murder.
Even if the Gernoff didn’t want to kill Orion, even if none of them let themselves be blinded by greed and decided that getting their hands on Grimlock was worth killing one more person, Quylla knew that her father wouldn’t leave them a choice.
Orion would fight until they put him down. An Awakened could heal just by breathing and the moment the Gernoff witnessed him use Blade Magic, there was no way they would risk turning their back on him.
Orion was bound to die.
Tears had already started to form at the corners of Quylla’s eyes when images of a dead Lucky and an empty crib flashed in her mind. The Ry would never abandon Orion. Not after what had happened to Phloria.
Lucky wasn’t just a magical beast. He was Phloria’s best friend and one of the few living links left with her. Yet the idea of losing Dripha was even worse than that.
Quylla had yet to even meet her little sister, but she couldn’t stand the thought that the same people who would murder her family would also use the innocent baby for their power plays with the new head of the Ernas Household.
Maybe even raise Dripha the same way the Myrok had made Jirni into who she was.
“I would never forgive myself!” Quylla clenched her fists so hard that her nails pierced her skin. “My parents may be jackasses, but they are my jackasses. As much as it pains me to admit it, I’m still alive because my mother is the biggest jackass of them all.
“If not for her mean streak, Friya and I would still be orphans. If not for her ruthless ploys, Deirus would have killed me the gods know how many times.”
‘Just like I did for Zin.’ Vastor hated keeping scores, but he couldn’t help but inwardly smile.
For the first time, he allowed himself to hope that maybe, just maybe, the good things he had done might outweigh the bad ones.
