sheer
Leigh steps up, smacks him on the back of the head
“Let's get out of here.” She looks at me sad
“Nothing more needs to be said.”
“Wind!” I shout
“You know what to do!
Take us to the Rings.
And Vito too!”
Suddenly, we're swept up in a gust
Touching down to an empty lot full of dust
“Wrong location?” Leigh's tone confused
“No.” I respond
“This is the place.
It's under construction, you can tell by the base.”
“You got a lot of nerve showing up here!”
Vito approaches in a worker's helmet
“I'm under no obligation to respect you now.
So, killing you is free and clear!”
Suddenly the mirror burns cold in my pocket
I pull it out as Jack's voice sounds
“Tell him to put a sock in it!”
“Silence Vito!” I bark
As he's taken aback
Jack continues
“He's putting on an act.
He knows like I do
Upon my death
My heir, you, inherits all my debts.
Not to mention my fairy gift.
So, try as he might, he has no way to grift.”
“Really?” I ask “Great.”
I grin
Guess I no longer have to worry about the wind
“Vito, looks like it's my win.”
“What do you mean?” He growls
“Did you think,” I begin, putting the mirror away
“Your debts had been wiped out?
Upon Jack's death, her dealings fell to me.
Along with her fairy gift. Don't you see?
Killing me is not free and clear.
In fact, it breaks every deal you made.”
He lets out a growl through gritted teeth
“Damn you Seer.”
His lip begins to bleed
Instantly, he takes a breath
“Since the truth is all but said,
You also have to honor our debts.
Time for me to call in a favor.
You or Jack, which one's greater?”
“Name it.” I respond
He grins “It's simple really.
Babysit my daughter.
Make sure her boyfriend doesn't get touchy-feely.”
“You're kidding, right?” I ask “That's it?”
“That's it. Fair warning though,
The guy's gonna be ticked.
I recently brokered a deal
For an item of his.
It was quite the steal.
Literally.”
“Fine.” I reply
It's easy enough
“Then I'm calling in a favor of my own.
Any info you have on The Seven Sins,
Whether or not they are yours is moot.”
He clears his throat
“Well, shoot.” He looks around
“You're referring to the thefts.
Worried one's inbound?”
“You know something!” Leigh bites
“Maybe I do.” His tone formal and trite
“You'll get your information after you complete this
task.
Now, go on. Get.” He turns his back and walks away
His posture going lax
“What was that?” Tom asks
“He didn't give us much to go on.”
“He gave us more than enough.” I answer stern
“Come on, let's get this done.”
I look to Leigh
As she fumes
“He knows something about the thief.
He can give us a clue.”
“Don't push it.” I say
“He'll give us what we need.
He's all about deals.
So, let's accomplish the deed.”
Off we head
His daughter's easy enough to find
Just follow the mess and respond in kind
Trial 12: A twist of the knife
We track the Don's princess to a vacant lot
Surveiling from a distance so as not to get caught
Waiting back, passing the time
With a game of words
As with a question Tom chimes
“Tell me again why we're doing this?”
“Because I owe Vito,
And it'll get us information.”
Instantly, in my eyes there's a tingling sensation
It seems my sight is returning slowly
Watching the daughter, waiting fully
As he treads up, a massive troll
In a biker's jacket, with his mouth full
Up he approaches, but something's not right
He seems angry
His fist tight
“Hey babe.” The goblin daughter calls
He leans down, right in her face
With a booming voice “How could you Grace?!”
“How could I what?” She asks confused
“Where is it?!” The troll snaps unamused
“Where's what?”
“The sin! Where is it?!”
“I don't know what you're...”
“Don't lie! One of our Pa-trolls saw a goblin make off
with it!
To think that you would sink so low.
All to please your father no doubt.”
“That's a low blow!” She bites back
“You know better than anyone
I have no desire to please that man!”
“Then explain it to me.” The troll growls
“If you can!”
So this is what Vito meant
He stole their Sin of glutony
Out from under their nose
Guess that's the way their business goes
As the young couple continues their spat
A hooded human approaches
This could be bad
Tom and I both jump to our feet
As Leigh calls “Wait!
There's something I want to see.”
“Are you kidding?” I respond
“That guy's gonna die.”
“I'm not so sure...” Tom's tone uneasy
“Something's not right...
That guy – His mana's making me queasy.”
The human continues on his course
As the troll catches a whiff
And charges before...
The guy has no time to act
Man, that troll is fast
Instantly, blue flames erupt
Halting the troll
But he won't die
His skin is tough
The thief?
Before I can think
Leigh's already on the move
She heads straight for him
Flying fast and smooth
“Time to go!” I call
Tom and I follow in pursuit
Myself becoming a shield
For the goblin youth
Tom backing Leigh
As we're all close enough to see
He lets down his hood
So this is the thief?
Abruptly, he lets out a scream
Chaotic red hair
Clothes ripped at the seams
His face dark and sunken
Like he needs to sleep
But his eyes are blacked out, save for the green iris rings
Leigh's now frozen dead in her tracks
She doesn't even move
Let alone attack
Tom takes a step, ready to fight
But Leigh yells “Stop!”
“Troah!” She cries
Troah? Her brother?
The thief merely growls
