by Emily Wilson
Whatever Zero is going to say is drowned out by the front door bursting open. Kato stumbles inside with a carefree smile, but all Az can see is a giant brute that abandoned him all night.
“Hi,” he has the nerve to say, walking over and pulling Az in for a kiss. “You miss me?”
“No,” he lies sharply, then turns Kato around to face Zero. “He missed you. Deal with him, and your dumb, fat raccanis.”
Kato frowns as if he’s just noticing Azrian’s sour mood. “Nut isn’t dumb,” he says, looking completely offended. “Why are you being a shadowhead?”
“Shadowhead? Seriously, Kato?” Az is about to explain all of the reasons that he thinks Kato’s the shadowhead when he smells the ale on his breath. “Are you drunk?”
“No.” Guilt washes over his face. “Are you?”
Zero snorts an obnoxious laugh and starts looking for food again, still very much listening to them. Az lets out an irritated groan and gets Kato some water. “Here. Drink this, then go to bed. I'm assuming you misplaced your other brothers. Or will they be along soon?”
“I don’t know. I think they’re both having sex with two people at the same time... not together... two different sets of people with each brother.” Kato rambles on until Az pushes the water to his mouth, but he only takes a small sip before he continues. “Why didn’t you want to come, Zero?”
He raises his eyebrows. “Where? I wasn't invited anywhere.”
“You didn't mention you were even leaving, Kato,” Az adds. “I followed him in here because he's a complete stranger, and the next thing we knew, the three of you were gone. For hours. In the dark. Leaving me here. With him.” He points at Zero and then shoves the cup of water into Kato’s hand.
“Oh. Well, next time I’ll invite you both. Did you really not miss me?” The drink slips through his fingers and clatters to the floor, but the giant doesn’t even flinch. Kato just pulls Az in and starts kissing along his neck, ignoring the mess he made completely.
“Really? So it’s okay for him to make a mess but not your guest?” Zero asks, his irritating voice bringing Az right back to the present.
Az huffs and reluctantly shoves Kato off. “He lives here. You don't.” He leans down to pick up the cup, then faces Kato. “Of course I missed you. I was worried about you, it's not like you to just run off like that and not come home for hours. We don't know your brothers, I thought...” He swallows thickly, choosing not to finish that sentence out loud. Bringing up the possibility that his brothers could’ve kidnapped or hurt him doesn't sound like a good idea.
“I’m sorry.” Kato stands and reaches out his hand, but he retracts it when his brain catches up. “Wait... you thought my brothers might have... they’re my brothers, Azrian. What happened to not judging them before we know them?”
Az just blinks. “I wasn't judging them. I've put up with this one poking me and touching everything and insulting me because he's your brother, but the other two? I barely got a chance to talk to them, and after everything that's happened... I'm sorry, Jellycrai. You're a little gullible sometimes and I worry about you.”
“Oh, shadows,” Zero says in an excited tone. “This is about to be good.”
“Shut up,” Kato snaps at his brother, turning back to Azrian with a frown. “I’m not gullible. I’m trusting. One of us has to be.”
That hurts more than Azrian expects it to, but he supposes he has it coming. “Okay. This conversation isn't going anywhere. I'm glad you're safe. I'm going to go to bed, please just make sure the fire’s out before you turn in.” He flicks his gaze toward the fireplace and then steps around Kato to get to their room, completely blocking out the agitating pitch of Zero’s voice as he begins telling Kato exactly how inhospitable Azrian’s been.
Not long after, Kato stumbles into the room. Az can hear him undressing and losing his balance every few seconds, but the second the bed moves he has to fight the urge to curl against him. “Azzy?” Kato whispers. “You still awake?”
“I am. Did Ronan wake up at all?”
“Yeah, he told Zero to shut up, too.” Kato huffs against his shoulder and places a soft kiss there. “I’m sorry I upset you tonight.”
Az deflates. Most of his anger was coming from fear that something had happened to Kato — but he'd been overlooking one very important fact: Kato is a Praediti twice over. He's more capable of taking care of himself than Azrian could ever be, and because of that, Kato doesn't have a reason to fear the dark the same way he does. “I'm sorry, too. Did you at least have fun?”
“Mmhmm.” His head plops down on their pillow. “I missed you though and kept wishing you were there. Morella isn’t all that bad, but I think it’s because she’s finally with the woman she loves.”
The news that Kato was hanging out with Morella of all people doesn't help, but Azrian knows there's no point in nitpicking about that. “I'm glad. Good for her.”
“Will you come next time? To the river? I want to dance with you.” His body sways a little as he nuzzles up to the back of Azrian’s neck.
“You're squirmy tonight,” Az comments, but he can't deny Kato’s quite endearing when he's had a little too much ale. “And yes, I would've come tonight if I'd have known. I might be paranoid, but I want you to be happy, Kato. I want this stuff with your brothers to work out, but I don't trust many people that come from Deadrun.”
“And you have every right to be wary. I’m sorry I suggested otherwise.” Kato takes a deep breath, his body weight growing heavier over Azrian. “I have brothers now,” he mumbles, just as he slips under and slumps against Az.
The abruptness shocks Azrian, but he reminds himself that Kato hasn't ever gotten drunk before. He's had a drink or two here or there, but never enough to get him to this point — and Az finds himself a little jealous that he wasn't a part of it.
At the end of the day, maybe that's what all of this is about. Maybe he's just jealous that he's no longer going to be the center of Kato’s attention. As he shifts to get more comfortable under Kato's sweaty, heated body, he tells himself that maybe this is all for the best...
Or maybe, for once, his instincts are right.
THE NEXT COUPLE OF days are insanely cramped but having Teagon and Aleon around seems to help keep Zero in check. He's been less present, less handsy, even less annoying since the two of them came back, and Azrian’s grateful.
Feeding everyone is hard, but the traps he's set have only gotten more effective thanks to things he learned in the Forest, and he's currently got an oreyete cooking out back which should be enough for a couple of days. Not to mention, the antlers he removed from the creature will fetch him a few coins from the market and the hide will make an excellent blanket. Truthfully, he's not sure he’ll hunt anything but those large, sleek creatures ever again.
They’re sitting out on the grass with the animals and Kato’s brothers talking about their time in the Etrian Desert when Ronan tugs on Azrian’s sleeve. “Can... we talk? Alone?”
“Sure.” Az stands and wipes the grass from his pants as the others fall silent. “We’ll just be inside,” he tells Kato, and after he receives an acknowledgment, he follows Ronan inside the house. “Are you okay?”
“It’s been days and I—” Rone looks around them to ensure they’re alone. “I still have a bad feeling. Not with Teag or Aleon... Zero. He creeps me out. Has Kato picked up anything strange? Or is he still insisting on giving them privacy?”
Az grimaces. “He won't read their minds, and I won't make him do it, either. But you're not alone, Zero is more than just annoying... it almost feels like it's just for show or something. I don't know.”
“His eyes freak me out,” Ronan whispers.
Though he's spent most of his life trying not to look Praediti in the eyes, Azrian's noticed this, too. “They're off, right? He's supposed to be an Oculare, but his eyes aren't black. They're not gray like ours, either... or the normal, dull shade of a human’s.”
“And he's not like most Oculare I'
ve ever met. They normally point out things and flaunt their powers. We had one at Deadrun that would tell me I was going to trip over something in four hours or that there were ghosts of past Videre sleeping in my room. They love freaking people out.”
Azrian hasn't ever run into an Oculare quite like that, but he has always known them to have a specific personality. Normally reserved and quiet, always watching, staring just beyond his head — but Zero doesn't do any of those things. “He hasn't commented on any of our auras, either. If he really is as annoying as he seems, you'd think he'd be doing that all the time. It's like... he's an Oculare, but he's... not an Oculare. Maybe something went wrong?”
“Like an accident?” Ronan asks, his brows pinching together.
“Yeah, like an accident... though I've never heard of an accident knocking out Praediti powers.” He pauses as he thinks. “Then again, there’s so much I don't know about Praediti powers, and the only time I tried to ask Cettia about it, she wouldn't tell me anything.”
Ronan sits down on the couch and rubs his jaw, and Azrian can see how much this is really bothering him. “Should we talk to Kato about it?”
“I wouldn't. I don't think I've ever seen him happier than he is right now. They won't stay much longer, I don't think. Kato can't afford to take any more time off work now that he's legitimately working with the praelex, so... they have to leave soon, right?”
“Maybe. But I don't wanna stay here anymore, Az. Zero keeps staring at me when I use my powers and I hate it, it makes me feel... icky.”
For Azrian, that's the line. He’ll put up with feeling as uncomfortable as he has to about it in order to make Kato happy, but they agreed that they'd never put their own interests above Ronan’s when they took him in. And this was starting to sound a lot like they were putting themselves above their charge. “I'll talk to him, Rone. If nothing else, we'll see about getting them all a room at the inn. Teagon hardly ever stays the night anyway and Aleon seems really nice, so I don't think they'll mind. As far as Zero goes... I don't really care if he's happy about it or not.”
Ronan visibly relaxes and scrambles off the couch to hug him. “Thanks, Az. And hey... can I stay at Miya’s tonight?” he asks, looking up at Az with a hopeful expression.
“No,” he says firmly, but kisses the top of Ronan’s head. “If we’re making the brothers leave, you're not leaving me here alone to deal with Kato.”
His face falls, but almost immediately, he looks excited all over again. “So, wait! If I stay here and help you with Kato, you'll let me stay with her tomorrow night?”
That isn't at all what Azrian meant, and if it’s truly up to him, he'll keep Ronan sheltered until he’s thirty. But looking at him now and the fact that he's nearly as tall as Azrian himself... he's choosing to remember that Ronan isn't a typical kid. He's been through more in his short life than most adults have, and if trusting him to make his own good decisions is something that will make him happy and want to stick around, then Azrian has to do it. “Yes,” he finally says, smiling when Ronan lets him go and starts jumping around. “Maybe tomorrow.”
4 The Guilty
Kato takes a deep breath as he stares up at the prison. Every time he’s come here, it’s completely drained him mentally to see all the humans behind bars. Some deserve it — he can see their hatred as clear as day — but others? There was a woman who attempted to kill a Praediti for trying to harm her son. Does she deserve life in prison while the attacker roams free?
He has to remind himself every single day that he can’t save everyone, that when he is able to help even one out of ten humans, it should feel like a win. But it just doesn’t. Not when a Praediti prison still doesn’t exist.
“I hate it here,” he admits to Vaelyn, opening the barred door for her and stepping into the only building in Embermeadow with concrete floors. They remind him of Deadrun, and somehow, that seems fitting.
She scoffs a laugh as she gazes around them. “If you think you hate it here, imagine how they feel. You're doing good things, Kato. Important work. The more time you spend inside this prison, the less time some of them will have to.”
He nods and doesn't speak again until they get through clearance. “How long will it take to see everyone? I don’t want any of them spending another night here if I can help it.”
“Only you can answer that. We’ve done this twice already and you've freed a dozen humans. So, it depends partially on how long you're willing to stay today, and how deeply you delve into their minds.”
He knows it’s true, knows it’s impossible to see every person in one day... but that doesn’t change his desire to try. Kato sits in the same room they’ve been in and waits for a prisoner to enter as his fingers tap on the table. When the door swings open, he sits up straighter and waits for their initial panic to subside.
“A Cogitare? Why? I’ve been good!” a shorter man protests, trying to squirm from a Viribus’ grasp.
“Sit down and shut up,” she barks, shoving him into a chair so hard Kato worries for his bottom.
“That’s enough. You can leave, your thoughts are too loud.” They aren’t, but she disgusts him, and he refuses to continue until she’s gone. “I’m sorry, I’m not here to hurt you.”
“You’re a Cogitare,” the human states, his eyes still wild with fear.
“Yes, I am. But—” he looks over at Vaelyn, and her encouraging nod helps him slightly — “I’m not like the one you met... like any of the ones you met. I want to help.”
“No way,” he says as he squirms, but the cuffs placed on him do their job to hold him in place. “You'll just make things up like the last one did, I didn't do anything wrong!”
Vaelyn steps toward the door and clears her throat. “His name is Nael. He’s been accused of stealing from the blacksmith’s shop in town. I believe you're acquainted with the blacksmith, aren't you?”
“Yes. Who accused you?” No way it was Rhix, Kato thinks to himself. “Look at me.” The man raises his gaze slowly, obviously scared Kato’s about to take over his mind. “I’m not using my powers on you. I want to know if you’re innocent. That is why I’m here.”
Nael lets out a slow, shaky breath. “I don't know who accused me. One minute I was getting my purchased goods from the blacksmith, and the next thing I knew, I was being dragged from my bed and brought here.”
Kato frowns, instantly thinking of Lorn. “Can I look into your mind? It’s the only way I can help.”
Everything about Nael’s body language suggests he’s going to say no — but he deflates after a moment, his shoulders slumping and head bowing. “Go ahead. What's the worst that can happen? Being killed would be better than staying in here.”
The faded bruises and paper-thin quality of his skin are visible to Kato from this angle, and it’s clear that he's not being treated well at all, whether or not he belongs here. After a strained nod, Kato focuses on the man’s memories. They’re clear as day, almost as if he relives this day over and over in his mind, and it only takes seconds for him to see the man is innocent. “Vaelyn. He needs to be released as well. He’s never stolen even a loaf of bread.”
Nael’s breathing becomes ragged as he looks at Kato with disbelieving eyes. “You— what did you say?” Tears well and spill over, and he begins sobbing so hard that Kato’s sure he doesn't hear him when he repeats himself.
“Now, now,” Vaelyn says softly, reaching down to unlock the handcuffs. “Come with me, Nael. I believe we still have some of your personal effects, and we’ll need to alert your family.”
It feels so amazing, it reminds Kato why he’s here, why coming here day after day is necessary. Reuniting someone with their family is a feeling he can’t explain... not with words, but as he watches Vaelyn escort Nael out of the room, he has to wipe tears from his eyes. Times like these, he wishes Azrian would never leave his side — he’d do anything for one of his warm hugs.
After freeing a few more innocents, another man named Kerk walks in and sits acros
s from him. The sneer on his lips confuses Kato and he slides the man’s file over to see his crime. A chill travels up his spine when he sees what the human was accused of. “Murder?” Kato whispers, meeting his gaze. “Why would you kill a Cogitare?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” He leans forward, hatred etched over every single one of his features. “You stults are unnatural. I'll take every single one of you out that I can.”
Kato’s only heard the word “stults” a few times in his life, but he’s learned enough from Azrian’s mind to know how insulting it is. He sits back in his chair, the man’s repulsive breath sucking all of the air out of the room and it makes him hesitant to look into his mind. Not because he thinks the man is guilty — he knows he is — but because he’s afraid of what he might see.
Even still, he does... because he has a job to do.
Watching the man strangle an unconscious Cogitare makes his skin crawl, and when Kerk begins beating his skull into the dirt, Kato stands abruptly and closes off their connection as quickly as he can. “He’s guilty. Get him out of here... please.”
The man barks a laugh that echoes off the walls long after he leaves and it’s all too much. Kato rushes from the room, not stopping until he is outside in the fresh air and no longer suffocating in that cell of a room.
He sits out there awhile, much longer than he should, but he knows Vaelyn isn't upset with him when she sits next to him. “I’m sorry I left.”
“I should've warned you first. That was a lot to take, but while I was extremely sure he was guilty... there's no replacement for looking directly into their minds and seeing it firsthand. For example, we have one more prisoner I’d like you to talk to today if you're up for it. In their case, we have proof, but there are circumstances surrounding their arrest that I believe need to be taken into account.”